GMA 40: Watch the 40-Hour Sleepless Saga of ABC News' Dan Childs Learn what no sleep can do to the body.

 -- Ever wonder what would happen if you didn't catch a wink of sleep for nearly two days? Today, one of our own is attempting to find out by staying wide awake for a punishing 40 hours as part of the "Good Morning America" 40th anniversary schedule of events on ABC News.

Dan Childs, the head of ABC News' Medical Unit, has volunteered to show exactly how your body and mind are affected by sleep deprivation and why getting some shut-eye is key to a healthy lifestyle.

Experts have found that no sleep can have a host of effects on the body, from impairing short-term memory to changing appetite hormones, and increasing inflammation to even affecting cardiac health. It's a problem that affects a huge number of Americans, with 50 to 70 million people reporting chronic sleep disorders, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To show how important sleep is, Dan Childs is doing just the opposite and staying awake so that he can interview experts, play memory games and even try out an "Operation" to show how no sleep can quickly take a toll on the body.