36 Hours With No Sleep - My Personal Story

I’ve spent years in this industry researching the importance of sleep, reading stories and case studies of people who did not get enough sleep.  I never thought that I would become one of those stories, but that’s exactly what happened this summer, when I was hospitalized following an asthma attack.

It started, fittingly enough, when I woke up with difficulty breathing, and couldn’t get back to sleep.  I then spent two days in the hospital, where I only slept 2-3 hours during the daytime.  Then I was discharged, and didn’t sleep at all until I was readmitted and diagnosed with severe bronchitis.  Over the course of five days, I only slept for 12 hours.

My mental decline was severe.  I began hallucinating, seeing snow and talking to people who weren’t there.  I felt like my eyes were saucers, my body was racing, and my paranoia kept increasing.  I thought that I would die if I fell asleep, that I would stop breathing altogether.

It was a truly horrible experience that I’m still recovering from, but you can’t pay back sleep debt.  Once those cycles are gone, they’re gone forever.  But after going through this, I feel more empowered to talk about the importance of sleep.  We live in a culture that prizes sleeping only a few hours a night, but that is not healthy or sustainable!  It does real damage to our minds and bodies.  I, personally, am making changes in my life to better manage my time and energy, prioritizing my rest and being efficient, effective, and sustainable. My sleep is precious, and I am grateful for each hour that I get.

I implore you to think about how precious your sleep can be. When you don’t get enough sleep each night, you suffer cognitive decline, increased risk of heart disease, and all of your organs suffer. Alzheimer's risk increases, and even your mood and emotional regulation are negatively impacted. Your body will thank you for your investment in rest and recovery!