Sleep: Why We Need It and What Happens Without It

You can survive longer without sleep than without food.

You can die faster from sleep deprivation than from food deprivation.

Sleep and food deprivation have the same effect on survival time.

The body prioritizes food over sleep in all situations.

Cerebellum

Brainstem

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

Frontal Lobe

Cortisol

Melatonin

Adenosine

Caffeine

Energy Conservation Theory

Evolutionary Adaptation Theory

Restoration Theory

Brain Plasticity Theory

To create new memories.

To strengthen all neural connections.

To clear out unnecessary information.

To increase moderate frequency bursts.

Both the amygdala and prefrontal cortex go into overdrive.

The amygdala goes into overdrive, and the prefrontal cortex shuts down.

Both the amygdala and prefrontal cortex shut down.

The amygdala shuts down, and the prefrontal cortex goes into overdrive.

To control logical reasoning.

To help form new memories.

To make you respond instinctively to stress and panic.

To regulate sleep cycles.

24 hours

72 hours

11 days

30 days