Sleep Is Not A Waste Of Time Sleep Deprivation Is Lethal

"I just don't have time to sleep, it is such a waste of time!" Is this how you feel about sleep? Just too busy to fit in eight hours of shut eye every night? Do you feel proud of taking less sleep than other people?

I have to tell straight up, you are very mistaken. Sleep deprivation is so dangerous that it can even kill you. It isn't a waste of time to sleep it is simply a fact of life. We must sleep.

Research shows that there are many problems associated with chronic sleep deprivation. That is sleep deprivation that has built up over several weeks or months. Here are some of them:

- Lack of sleep reduces your life span. Long term studies show that death from all causes is highest amongst adults who get less than 7 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.

Reduced by half! That's very scary isn't it? Your immune response is what keeps you alive when bugs attack your body, which is every day of your life. The same study also showed these affects from sleep deprivation:

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) Leptin, a hormone that inhibits appetite, was reduced. That is why sleep deprivation can result in weight gain. Other studies have shown similar results.

-Critical thinking is much reduced and intellectual performance in general affected. Burning the midnight oil will not help you pass your exams.

- Reaction time dips, dangerous in many situations such as driving, operating dangerous machinery or caring for small children. Numerous accidents have been laid at the door of lack of sleep. When combined with alcohol sleep deprivation becomes a killer. If you have a large sleep debt you are a danger not just to yourself but also to those you live or work with.

Notice how often driver fatigue is mentioned in reports on various accidents. The one we probably remember best is the Exon Valdize, but airplane and road traffic accidents are frequently put down to driver fatigue in other words, 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.

Do you think that you should try to get enough sleep now? No matter how busy your day its vital to make time for sleep too. Your performance will improve and so will your health. Wit fewer sick days and less exhaustion you will easily make up for the time you "lose" by sleeping.

Insomnia is a problem for many people today and it is usually caused by stress and anxiety. If this is you its important that you learn how to relax. Basic sleep hygiene is also very important.

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