Getting sleep is one of the few strictly essential functions of all humans. Getting enough sleep is as vital for survival as water and food. Sleep is actually needed much more often than food for survival. Sleep deprivation has been shown to shorten the life span. A lack of sleep also causes a less effective immune system, a lower body temperature, memory impairment and moodiness. Intense states of sleep deprivation can lead to hallucinations, sickness and even death.
The average adult needs to sleep approximately eight hours. Children, still growing, require more hours. Growth hormones are released while children sleep. Kids who get too little sleep won’t grow to be as tall as those who get enough. Lack of sleep in children is also linked to poor academic performance.
Illnesses are caused by a lessened immune system. Heart disease is an especially serious consequence of sleep deprivation. A constant lack of enough sleep can cause high blood pressure. High blood pressure leads to a variety of other heart problems. After too little sleep, stress hormone levels become elevated. More fat is stored because of these hormones. This causes abdominal fat to be gained. Getting too little sleep may also lower cancer risks.
Various everyday behaviors are greatly affected by a poor level of sleep. Test scores are superior for people who get enough sleep. Memory retrieval for short term memories is easier after sleeping. Sleeping can make it easier to remember a new task. Concentration of every type requires the proper sleep. The performance needed for academic performance is greatly affected by sleep. Both verbal communications and math are affected by sleep levels.
Ordinary tasks can become dangerous when people don’t get the sleep they need. Being drunk and driving is as dangerous as staying awake too long and driving. Operating machinery of any category places a sleep deprived person at risk. Slower reaction times happen when someone has not slept enough. Excessive sleepiness forces the body to take its sleep whenever it can. These small sleep microbursts last five to 10 seconds. Those seconds are enough time for injuries to occur. In the U.S., fatigue causes about 71,000 highway injuries. Fatigue causes 1,500 deaths on the highway each year.
Every human system is dependent on the recuperation provided by sleep. Without it, both the body and the mind suffer. The hormones that keep us alert are regulated by our amount of sleep. By missing out on one hour of our much-needed sleep, our days will be less productive and we feel less attentive.
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