Medical Minimum amount of sleep per night for 4 months

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hamiltonian
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Minimum Per Sleep
AI Thread Summary
A 17-year-old male inquiring about the long-term effects of consistently getting only 4-5 hours of sleep per night for 4-5 months raised concerns about potential health risks, including diabetes and mortality, referencing studies primarily involving older participants. The discussion emphasized that while immediate major health conditions may not arise, chronic sleep deprivation can significantly impair mental and physical performance, leading to detrimental effects on overall well-being. The lack of sleep combined with a sedentary lifestyle was highlighted as particularly unhealthy. Experts advised against pursuing such a sleep schedule, suggesting that the risks of accidents and reduced quality of life outweigh any perceived benefits of staying awake longer. The importance of consulting a healthcare provider for personalized advice was also noted, as the conversation was moderated to avoid giving direct medical guidance.
Hamiltonian
Messages
296
Reaction score
193
TL;DR Summary
side effects of 4-6 hours of sleep for 4-5 months, on a 17 year old, male with no major current health conditions.
I am a 17 year old male with no major health conditions. I want to know if there will be any long term effects of less sleep(and practically no sleep schedule) ranging from anywhere between 4-5 hours a night(sprinkled with occasional all-nighters) for a period of 4-5 months.
a quick google search reveals:
1619802349160.png

these side effects are understandable, but the following seem a bit excessive (especially "early death")
1619802420683.png

study on risk of diabetes due to less sleep:
1619802739945.png

this study was conducted on participants much older than me so i don't think these side effects will apply to me(will it?).
the study on relation between number of sleep hours and mortality were conducted over long periods and again am unsure if it will apply to me(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2864873/ ).

the amount of sleep required varies from person to person, on that front: i am not going to be doing anything remotely athletic and am practically just going to sit in one spot all day.
In short is there a high probability of developing any major health conditions in the next few months due to lack of sleep?

PS:I hope my question doesn't sound silly, we all know an average of 7-8 hours is healthy.
 

Attachments

  • 1619802710446.png
    1619802710446.png
    17.9 KB · Views: 160
Biology news on Phys.org
Hamiltonian299792458 said:
In short is there a high probability of developing any major health conditions in the next few months due to lack of sleep?

No, but I can't see any reason to purposefully get 4-5 hours of sleep per night for such a long period of time. Your lack of sleep will impede everything in your life and the extra time you gain by not sleeping is wasted by reduced mental and physical performance.

It's just not worth it.
 
  • Like
Likes Wrichik Basu and phyzguy
Hamiltonian299792458 said:
Summary:: side effects of 4-6 hours of sleep for 4-5 months, on a 17 year old, male with no major current health conditions.

i am not going to be doing anything remotely athletic and am practically just going to sit in one spot all day.
That is demonstrably unhealthful in and of itself.
 
  • Like
Likes phyzguy
Ugh! One wonders why you would consider doing this to yourself. Both the lack of sleep and the lack of physical activity will be very detrimental to your health. Will you die? Probably not. Will you feel good? I doubt it.
 
Thread closed temporarily for Moderation...
 
Since the OP is asking for medical advice: see a health care provider. He will likely tell you to avoid your plan. However. We do not give medical advice. Thread closed.

I can say that sleep deprivation for 6 months is not likely to have major impacts - long term. That is: If you survive intact during your deprivation period. This is not a joke.

Why? the probability of you in sleep deprivation mode having a debilitating accident (like falling asleep while driving or riding a bike) is increased by a large factor.

People working an extra 40 hour shift, for example, have unacceptably higher rates for job related accidents overall compared with folks who work only 40 hours/week. Some workplaces actually reject job candidates who apply with a current 40 hour/week job when that candidate applies for additional shift work.
 
  • Like
Likes berkeman
Deadly cattle screwworm parasite found in US patient. What to know. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2025/08/25/new-world-screwworm-human-case/85813010007/ Exclusive: U.S. confirms nation's first travel-associated human screwworm case connected to Central American outbreak https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/us-confirms-nations-first-travel-associated-human-screwworm-case-connected-2025-08-25/...
Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S. According to articles in the Los Angeles Times, "Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S.", and "Kissing bugs bring deadly disease to California". LA Times requires a subscription. Related article -...
I am reading Nicholas Wade's book A Troublesome Inheritance. Please let's not make this thread a critique about the merits or demerits of the book. This thread is my attempt to understanding the evidence that Natural Selection in the human genome was recent and regional. On Page 103 of A Troublesome Inheritance, Wade writes the following: "The regional nature of selection was first made evident in a genomewide scan undertaken by Jonathan Pritchard, a population geneticist at the...
Back
Top