Why You and I need sleep.
When sleep deprivation becomes great enough, the effects mimic those of psychosis.
- hallucinations
- speech/motor impairments
- memory loss/difficulty or lapse
- irritability
- fragmented thinking
- paranoia
[PsychiatricTimes.com]
Failure to get enough sleep or sleeping at odd hours heightens the risk for a variety of major illnesses:
- cancers - breast, colon, etc
- heart disease
- heart attacks
- diabetes
- obesity
- stroke
- high blood pressure
[WashingtonPost.com]
Those who sleep fewer than six hours a night don't live as long as those who sleep seven hours or more.
[CNN.com]
Lack of sleep may result in:
- Blurred vision
- Slurred speech
- General confusion
- Hand tremors
- Hernia
- Headache
- Color blindness
- Fainting
- Nausea
- Psychosis
- Clinical depression
- Nystagmus
- Pale skin tone (looking pasty)
- Decreased mental activity
- Decreased concentration
- Decreased ability for the immune system to fight off sickness
- Weight gain
- Aching muscles
- Impatience
- Slowed reaction time
- ADHD like symptoms
- Yawning
- Daytime Naps
- Hypertension/Hyperactivity
- Dizziness
- Death
[Wikipedia.com]
Lack of sleep can influence many metabolic functions - hormone production, food storage, regulation of blood sugar levels. [UniversityofChigacoHospitals]
Lack of sleep can cause bipolar episodes more often toward mania, but also toward depression.
People with bipolar disorder seem to have more delicate internal clocks.
[About.com, Bipolar.About.com]
Lack of sleep also contributes to:
- cravings for carbohydrates
- decreased alertness & ability to focus
- hardening of the arteries