The Serious Effects of Sleep Deprivation

Most people brush them off when someone warns them about sleep deprivation... their missing a few hours, maybe a night or two, of sleep isn't serious... right? There's nothing that going to hurt you about that...

Well, that's not true. Sleep deprivation has both less and more serious effects on your body and your mind. It can be something smaller, or something bigger - like hallucinations, and yes, even death.

Diabetes

Sound odd? This wasn't what your mother warned you about, but a study that was done in 1996 by the University of Chicago Medical Center showed some startling things. Being deprived of sleep drastically decreases the body's ability to metabolize glucose. This commonly leads to early stage type-2 diabetes.

Scary? Considering diabetes is a huge problem, in the US and around the world, it should be.

Lack of Productivity

Most people think that when they lose a few extra hours, they're doing themselves a favor. They're getting more work in, maybe, or more school, but that's just simply not true.

Sleep deprivation's most common symptom is the lack of productivity. 'Spacing out', not being able to concentrate, not working as fast... it's all because of your deprivation.

Depersonalization/Derealization

This isn't something that many people experience, however it is something that is associated with sleep deprivation. It's basically the feeling of being detached from your situation.

It's almost as if you're an 'outsider', with a different perspective than anyone else. Nothing feels real, and it's almost like you're living inside of a dream that you can't wake up from.

Hallucinations

That shadow... was that a person? Did you hear that noise? What did the radio host say? Who was that woman?

Sound familiar? Well, maybe not - but sleep deprivation can, without a doubt, cause hallucinations, even if you're the picture of mental health otherwise. It's both auditory and visual hallucinations, and there's little you can do to stop it, other than get some rest.

Other Effects...

Other effects of sleep deprivation are...

• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Headaches
• Depression
• Blurred vision
• Weight gain or loss
• Weakened immune system
• Impaired speech
• Memory loss
• Impatience
• Irritability
• Colorblindness
• And much more

Sleep deprivation is a serious thing - it's very important to get the needed amount of sleep each and every night. You're not doing yourself a favor, and if you have a disorder that's preventing you from sleeping, you need to do something about it.