Sleep is Not Optional: Sleep Deprivation Kills
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by: LizBeresford
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Do you think that sleep is a waste of your time? Are you quietly proud of your ability to survive on just a few hours sleep a night? Maybe you even see sleep as a weakness to be overcome?
Let me tell you this sleep-less one, you are completely wrong! Sleep is vital, you can't dispense with it. You might as well dispense with your IQ. Chronic sleep deprivation is about the worst thing that can happen to you, short of a major illness.
If you have built up a chronic sleep debt over several weeks you are suffering from a dangerous sleep deprivation problem. Studies show that there are many problems associated with this. Here are a just a few of them:
- You will die sooner than you should if you allow sleep deprivation to continue. Studies show that death from all causes is significantly higher in those who get less than seven hours sleep a night.
-Your immune system takes a battering when you are sleep deprived. Subjects allowed only 4 hours sleep for a six night period were infected with flu virus. Their immune system produced half the number of white cells it normally would in response to this attack.
Wow that means their chance of fighting off the bug was half what it should have been! Sleep deprivation could kill you if you came in contact with a serious infection. Also in that study:
a) Both heart rate and blood pressure were up
b) Insulin resistance, a pre-diabetic condition that affects glucose tolerance and produces weight gain, developed.
c) A reduction of the hormone Leptin that inhibits appetite. This is one reason why obesity can be the result of sleep deprivation.
-Intellectual performance and the ability to think critically is severely reduced.
-Reaction time is slowed, which could be fatal in some situations Sleep deprivation has been the cause of numerous accidents and combined with alcohol it can be lethal. When we are overtired we take mini sleeps without even realizing it. Imagine taking a mini sleep when driving or operating dangerous equipment. If you have a large sleep debt you are a danger to yourself and others.
As you are aware of it you will notice how many reports on serious accidents mention fatigue, often along with alcohol. The one we all remember is the Exon Valdize but plane and road traffic accidents are frequently put down to sleep deprivation.
Nowadays few responsible people would get behind the wheel of a car after a drinking session, but we still think nothing of driving when completely worn out and lacking sleep. People take a 24 hour plane ride to the other hemisphere, hop off the plane and into a hire car in which they drive on an unfamiliar side of the road for several hours. I am sure you don't want to meet them on the road.
So the bottom line is that no matter how hard it is to follow a sensible sleep routine you must do it. Going to bed late on a regular basis and suffering from chronic sleep deprivation can be lethal for you or for someone you else.
If you have insomnia its important that you learn how to improve your sleep. Insomnia is usually caused by stress and anxiety so if you can get help for those your sleep is going to improve. There are also many lifestyle changes you can make to help you to sleep.
About the Author
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