Sleep is one of the basic things needed by humans to survive as it allows our body to repair itself and perform essential biological functions. Adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night, but work and lifestyle factors may disrupt our ability to sleep.
Getting less sleep than needed or not sleeping at all is called sleep deprivation. For most people, a short period of sleep deprivation is not a cause for concern, but frequent or prolonged sleep deprivation can cause serious health conditions such as hallucination.
What are Hallucinations?
Hallucination is defined as a sensory experience about something that is not actually real. This false perception can take various forms through the senses of sight, smell, sound, touch, taste, and movement.
This experience can vary in intensity and severity and can occur when a person is awake or when they are dreaming. Hallucination is extremely individualized, which means that some people may find it terrifying, while others may find it pleasurable.
Hallucinations are a symptom of various health conditions such as dementia, psychosis, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and sleep deprivation. It has been suggested that prolonged periods of sleeplessness can increase a person's level of mental stress, which can intensify the symptoms of psychological disorders. It is theorized that when faced with stressors, the body and mind may respond by triggering a variety of illusions. This may explain why people who suffer from sleep deprivation are more likely to hallucinate than those who get the recommended amount of sleep.
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Stages of Sleep Deprivation
There is no universal timeline for sleep deprivation. However, the general stages are determined by how many hours of sleep a person has missed, with the symptoms getting worse in each stage.
Missing 24 hours of sleep is not uncommon, and staying up all night will not have a significant impact on a person's overall health. Still, missing a night of sleep can affect an individual, and a 24-hour sleep deprivation is actually the same as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10%. A person who goes 24 hours without sleep could experience irritability, impaired judgment, memory deficits, decreased hand-eye coordination, and increased muscle tension.
These symptoms may become more intense when a person misses 36 hours of sleep. Wakefulness for an extended period of time can alter some bodily functions such as appetite, metabolism, mood, and stress level. Other effects of having 36 hours of sleep deprivation include decreased attention, inflexible reasoning, hormonal imbalances, and extreme fatigue.
After 48 hours of missed sleep, most people may have difficulty staying awake, as they enter the stage of extreme sleep deprivation. They may experience periods of light sleep called "microsleep" which last up to 30 seconds. Staying awake for two days straight also disrupts the immune system and causes depersonalization, extreme fatigue, and increased irritability. It is aso at this point when a person may start to hallucinate.
When a person reaches 72 hours without sleep, they can experience altered perception that can cause a more complex hallucination. This also includes illusions, disordered thinking, and depersonalization. Studies also reveal that prolonged sleep deprivation results in increased dopamine levels, which can also contribute to hallucinations.
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