Sleep Deprivation Effects

28/05/08 10:13

Sleep as you may already know is a vital function, and therefore, lack of it (sleep deprivation) has dramatic consequences on an individual. Sleep deprivation affects the living body both physically and mentally to the point that it can self-destruct if the deprivation is pushed to the extreme: Let’s look at a sleep deprivation experiment performed on rats to illustrate this point (note that the average rat normally lives for about 2 to 3 years). In this experiment rats were divided into 2 different groups and the results were pretty conclusive as to the negative effects of sleep deprivation:

The rats in group number one, deprived of REM sleep, lived an average of 5 months.
The rats in group number two, deprived of all sleep, survived only about 3 weeks.

This experiment shows us that even though rats can survive an incredible 3 weeks without any sleep, it dramatically shortened their life-span.

But enough about rats, lets looks at the physical effects of sleep deprivation on the human body:

• Memory problems
• Chronic pain
• Attention problems
• Poor motor responses to stimuli
• Difficulty controlling emotions, mood swings
• Increased risk of motor vehicle accident: A 1998 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that approximately 100.000 motor vehicle accidents each year are the results of the driver being drowsy or fatigued at the wheel
• Increased risks of certain diseases
• Depression
• Irritability
• Increased risk of work related accidents
• Decreased work performance
• Social problems, marital problems
• Lowered immune system

Those are the dangers of sleep deprivation. As you can see the effects can be really dramatic, the simple fact that sleep deprivation lowers your immune system is scary enough, since this can lead to many other health problems. Not to mention the direct link between sleep deprivation and car accidents.

Do you ever find yourself irritated, depressed, or not able to pay attention to things the way you were able to? All of these are direct physical effects of sleep deprivation.

The link between sleep deprivation and stress is even more important than you can ever imagine. So if you find yourself stressed or experiencing any of the above, maybe it's time to get some adequate rest.

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

-Photo by sunface13-

Tags: Sleep Deprivation