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Summary: Cortisol, urea, glucose, electrolytes, and other compounds were measured in five consecutive 24 h urine collections during a 72 h sleep deprivation study in six young men. Urine was collected during a 24 h pre deprivation day, 3 days of sleep deprivation, and a recovery day. Whereas urinary cortisol decreased only slightly, marked changes in other urinary constituents were observed. During sleep deprivation, urinary urea rose markedly, glucose decreased, and urinary electrolytes decreased. These data indicate that sleep deprivation under ad lib food and water conditions can cause disturbances in normal metabolism. Key Words: Sleep deprivation-Cortisol-Urine-Electrolytes-Urea.Prolonged sleep deprivation is characterized by psychological and physiological fatigue as measured by decreased performance on mental or physical tasks (1-4). We were interested in studying the underlying physiological mechanisms of these effects. Our laboratory was given the opportunity to collect urine from six young men undergoing 72 h sleep deprivation in a supportive laboratory setting where food and water were freely available. Physical stress was absent and psychological stress minimized to that intrinsic to sleep deprivation itself.We focused our attention on urinary constituents that would be expected to reflect changes in psychological activation (cortisol) and shifts in metabolism (glucose, urea) and electrolytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS SUbjects and designSix male volunteers (18-21 years old) served as subjects. All subjects gave written consent. The six subjects were divided into three groups of two individuals each, with one group studied during a given week.

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