Ready for a tour of what actually happens when you skip sleep? Here are some real, actual sleep deprivation studies from the last century, and what people did during them. 

When Staying Awake Becomes Performance Art 

In 1959, Bliss et al. kept seven medical students awake for 72 hours straight, because medical school apparently wasn’t stressful enough. After two days, one student swore the bathroom floor was shimmering water. Another confidently waved hello to a “gray-haired old lady” who turned out to be a fire alarm box.

Things Start Smoking (Literally) 

Fast forward to 1966. Kollar et al. kept four guys awake for 120 hours. Participants hallucinated smoke rising from tables, walked into walls that looked like doors, and found each other hilarious. [NARRATOR VOICE: The staff listening in did not think they were hilarious].

The Guy Who Thought Sleep Was Optional

In 1935, Katz and Landis met a guy who proudly believed humans didn’t need sleep and tried to stay awake for 10 days to prove his point.

Result? He mistook desks for drinking fountains, saw transatlantic whales with square faces, and by Day 9, could only think in… fragments about soap dishes.

He did not, in fact, discover a superhuman hack to ditch sleep forever.

Moral of the Story?

Sleep isn’t a luxury: it’s a necessity. Good sleep lays the foundation for your health and helps you stay on track in your daily life. It keeps your brain sharp, your mood stable, your immune system strong, and your floors mercifully non-shimmering.

Not one of the lucky ones who just fall into great sleep? Good news! You can change that.

Good sleep happens when your circadian rhythms are in sync with your day.

That’s exactly where Arcashift comes in. We’ve got

1. Personalized timing for your sleep, light, meals, and caffeine.
2. Plans based on your actual body rhythms — not random internet “hacks.”
3. A future free from soap-dish hallucinations.

📲 Download Arcashift today — before your furniture starts talking back.

References:

• Bliss, E. L., Clark, L. D., & West, C. D. (1959). Studies of deprivation sleep: relationship to schizophrenia. AMA Archives of Neurology & Psychiatry.
  
• Kollar, E. J., et al. (1966). Stress in subjects undergoing sleep deprivation. Psychosomatic Medicine.
  
• Katz, S. E., & Landis, C. (1935). Psychologic and physiologic phenomena during a prolonged vigil. Archives of Neurology & Psychiatry.