The claimEvidence A · guideline-tier
We pulled all-nighters when young and we're fine
The evidence
That is selective memory. Chronic short sleep is linked to higher risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia and depression — the long-term picture in population studies is not kind.
The mechanism, in brief
One night without sleep, and several of the body's systems are pushed out of their everyday range within hours — the most underrated side of an all-nighter.
Sources (6)
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- Donga, E., van Dijk, M., van Dijk, J. G., Biermasz, N. R., Lammers, G. J., van Kralingen, K. W., Corssmit, E. P. M., & Romijn, J. A. (2010). A single night of partial sleep deprivation induces insulin resistance in multiple metabolic pathways in healthy subjects. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 95(6), 2963–2968. 9 healthy adults (5 men, 4 women), crossover: a normal night vs one night of 4 h sleep (226 vs 454 min). Hyperinsulinaemic clamp next day: endogenous glucose production higher (hepatic insulin resistance), glucose disposal lower (32.5 vs 40.7), glucose infusion rate about 25% lower (abstract, PMID 20371664).
- Leproult, R., Copinschi, G., Buxton, O., & Van Cauter, E. (1997). Sleep loss results in an elevation of cortisol levels the next evening. Sleep, 20(10), 865–870.
- Irwin, M., McClintick, J., Costlow, C., Fortner, M., White, J., & Gillin, J. C. (1996). Partial night sleep deprivation reduces natural killer and cellular immune responses in humans. The FASEB Journal, 10(5), 643–653.
- Spiegel, K., Tasali, E., Penev, P., & Van Cauter, E. (2004). Brief communication: Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite. Annals of Internal Medicine, 141(11), 846–850.
- Shokri-Kojori, E., Wang, G. J., Wiers, C. E., Demiral, S. B., Guo, M., Kim, S. W., Lindgren, E., Ramirez, V., Zehra, A., Freeman, C., Miller, G., Manza, P., Srivastava, T., De Santi, S., Tomasi, D., Benveniste, H., & Volkow, N. D. (2018). β-Amyloid accumulation in the human brain after one night of sleep deprivation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(17), 4483–4488.