The Effects of Sleep

Deprivation on Your
Body
Written by Ann Pietrangelo and Stephanie Watson
Medically Reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, PhD, RN, CRNA on June 5, 2017

If youve ever spent a night tossing and turning, you already

know how youll feel the next day tired, cranky, and out of
sorts. But missing out on the recommended 7 to 9 hours of
shut-eye nightly does more than make you feel groggy and
grumpy. The long term effects of sleep deprivation are real. It
drains your mental abilities and puts your physical health at
real risk. Science has linked poor slumber with all kinds of health
problems, from weight gain to a weakened immune system.
weakened immunity

risk of heart disease

risk for diabetes

trouble with thinking and concentration

accidents

mood changes
high blood pressure

weight gain

low sex drive

poor balance

Your body needs sleep, just as it needs air and food to function at its best.
During sleep, your body heals itself and restores its chemical balance.
Your brain forges new connections and helps memory retention. Without
enough sleep, your brain and body systems wont function normally. It can
also dramatically lower your quality of life. A review of 16 studies found
that sleeping for less than 6 to 8 hours a night increases the risk of early
death by about 12 percent.The obvious signs of sleep deprivation are:
excessive sleepiness
yawning
irritability
daytime fatigue
Stimulants like caffeine arent enough to override your bodys profound
need for sleep. Behind the scenes, chronic sleep deprivation can interfere
with your bodys internal systems and cause more than just the initial signs
and symptoms listed above. Read on to learn exactly how sleep
deprivation affects specific body functions and systems.

Central nervous system

Your central nervous system is the information highway of your body.
Sleep is necessary to keep it functioning properly, but chronic
insomnia can disrupt how your body usually sends information.During
sleep, pathways form between nerve cells (neurons) in your brain that help
you remember new information youve learned. Sleep deprivation leaves
your brain exhausted, so it cant perform its duties as well. You may also
find it more difficult to concentrate or learn new things. The signals your
body sends may also come at a delay, decreasing your coordination skills
and increasing your risks for accidents.Sleep deprivation also negatively
affects your mental abilities and emotional state. You may feel more
impatient or prone to mood swings. It can also compromise decision-
making processes and creativity.If sleep deprivation continues long
enough, you could start having hallucinationsseeing or hearing things
that arent there. A lack of sleep can also trigger mania in people who
have manic depression. Other psychological risks include:
impulsive behavior
depression
paranoia
suicidal thoughts
You may also end up experiencing microsleep in the day. During these
episodes, youll fall asleep for a few seconds or minutes without realizing
it. Microsleep is out of your control and can be extremely dangerous if
youre driving. It can also make you more prone to injury due to trips and
falls.

Immune system
While you sleep, your immune system produces protective, infection-
fighting substances like cytokines. It uses these substances to combat
foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. Cytokines also help you
sleep, giving your immune system more energy to defend your body
against illness.Sleep deprivation prevents your immune system from
building up its forces. If you dont get enough sleep, your body may not be
able to fend off invaders. It may also take you longer to recover from
illness. Long-term sleep deprivation also increases your risk for chronic
illnesses like diabetes and heart disease.

Respiratory system
The relationship between sleep and the respiratory system goes both ways.
A nighttime breathing disorder called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can
interrupt your sleep and lower the quality of your sleep. As you wake up
throughout the night, this can cause sleep deprivation, which leaves you
more vulnerable to respiratory infections like the common cold and flu.
Sleep deprivation can also make existing respiratory diseases worse, such
as chronic lung illness.

Digestive system
Along with eating too much and not exercising, sleep deprivation is
another risk factor for becoming overweight and obesity. Sleep affects the
levels of two hormones, leptin and ghrelin, which control feelings of
hunger and fullness.Leptin tells your brain that youve had enough to eat.
Without enough sleep, your brain reduces leptin and raises ghrelin, which
is an appetite stimulant. The flux of these hormones could explain
nighttime snacking or why someone may overeat later in night. A lack of
sleep can also contribute to weight gain by making you feel too tired to
exercise.Sleep deprivation also prompts your body to release higher levels
of insulin after you eat. Insulin controls your blood sugar level. Higher
insulin levels promote fat storage and increase your risk for type 2
diabetes.

Cardiovascular system
Sleep affects processes that keep your heart and blood vessels healthy,
including your blood sugar, blood pressure, and inflammation levels. It
also plays a vital role in your bodys ability to heal and repair the blood
vessels and heart.People who dont sleep enough are more likely to get
cardiovascular disease. One analysis published in the European Journal of
Preventive Oncology linked insomnia to an increased risk of heart
attack and stroke.

Endocrine system
Hormone production is dependent on your sleep. For testosterone
production, you need at least three hours of uninterrupted sleep, which is
about the time of your first REM episode. Waking up throughout the night
could affect hormone production.This interruption can also affect growth
hormone production, especially in children and adolescents. These
hormones help build muscle mass and repair cells and tissues.
The pituitary gland releases growth hormones continuously, but sleep and
exercise also help induce the release of this hormone.
.
10 Things to Hate About Sleep
Loss
By Camille Peri
Listen

FROM THE WEBMD ARCHIVES

You know lack of sleep can make you grumpy and foggy. You may not know what it can do
to your sex life, memory, health, looks, and even ability to lose weight. Here are 10
surprising -- and serious -- effects of sleep loss.

1. Sleepiness Causes Accidents

Sleep deprivation was a factor in some of the biggest disasters in recent history: the 1979
nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill, the 1986 nuclear
meltdown at Chernobyl, and others.
But sleep loss is also a big public safety hazard every day on the road. Drowsiness can slow
reaction time as much as driving drunk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
estimates that fatigue is a cause in 100,000 auto crashes and 1,550 crash-related deaths a year
in the U.S. The problem is greatest among people under 25 years old.
Studies show that sleep loss and poor-quality sleep also lead to accidents and injuries on the
job. In one study, workers who complained about excessive daytime sleepiness had
significantly more work accidents, particularly repeated work accidents. They also had more
sick days per accident.

2. Sleep Loss Dumbs You Down

Sleep plays a critical role in thinking and learning. Lack of sleep hurts these cognitive
processes in many ways. First, it impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning, and
problem solving. This makes it more difficult to learn efficiently.
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Second, during the night, various sleep cycles play a role in consolidating memories in the
mind. If you dont get enough sleep, you wont be able to remember what you learned and
experienced during the day.

3. Sleep Deprivation Can Lead to Serious Health Problems

Sleep disorders and chronic sleep loss can put you at risk for:

Heart disease
Heart attack
Heart failure
Irregular heartbeat
High blood pressure
Stroke
Diabetes

According to some estimates, 90% of people with insomnia -- a sleep disorder characterized
by trouble falling and staying asleep -- also have another health condition.

4. Lack of Sleep Kills Sex Drive

Sleep specialists say that sleep-deprived men and women report lower libidos and less
interest in sex. Depleted energy, sleepiness, and increased tension may be largely to blame.
For men with sleep apnea, a respiratory problem that interrupts sleep, there may be another
factor in the sexual slump. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology
& Metabolism in 2002 suggests that many men with sleep apnea also have low
testosterone levels. In the study, nearly half of the men who suffered from severe sleep
apnea also secreted abnormally low levels of testosterone during the night.

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Sleep Deprivation: 7 Dangerous Effects Of Long-Term

Sleeping Problems
Mar 17, 2014 12:02 PM By Lizette Borreli @lizcelineb l.borreli@medicaldaily.com
 Suffer from
excessive sleepiness? Sleep deprivation can cause dangerous effects on your health from
killing your sex drive to increasing your risk of death. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
Share
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Most of us are caffeine-fueled and plagued by a 24/7 society where were constantly plugged-in,
overworked, and stressed. These daily habits take a toll on the body and impair its ability to adequately
function for maximum health and optimal performance, especially since they contribute to poor sleep.
While one night of short sleep wont jeopardize your health, long-term sleeping problems can have
dangerous, even fatal, effects on your overall health and wellness.

1. Sleep Deprivation and Junk Food Cravings

The inability to sleep may lead most of us to open the fridge at 2 a.m. and reach out for the unhealthiest,
high-calorie snacks, but why? A study in the journal Nature Communications found sleep deprivation
disrupts food choices in two ways: First, it dampens activity in several brain areas responsible for
appetitive evaluation our ability to rank different foods in the mind based on what they want, and
second, an increase in the brains amygdala responsible for controlling the salience of food. Excessive
sleepiness impairs decision-making abilities while increasing our desire for unhealthy foods. This affirms
the association between a lack of sleep and an increase in weight gain and obesity.
2. Sleep Deprivation and Your Skin
Beauty sleep is no myth, ladies. A lack of sleep can lead to dull skin, fine lines, and dark circles under the
eyes. When the body doesnt receive adequate rest, it begins to release more of the stress hormone cortisol,
which can break down skin collagen. In a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology,
researchers found poor sleep quality is correlated with reduced skin health and accelerates skin aging. In
addition, not only did sleep deprived women show signs of premature skin aging, they also showed a
decrease in their skins ability to recover after sun exposure.
3. Sleep Deprivation and Memory Loss
On the days that youre most tired, you may also find that youre most forgetful and unfocused. Sleep
helps us refine how we store memory, but a lack of sleep can lead to permanent cognitive issues, such as
memory loss. According to a University of California, Berkeley, study in the journal Nature Neuroscience,
researchers found memories may be getting stuck in the hippocampus the part of brain involved in
memory forming, organizing, and storing due to the poor quality of deep slow wave sleep, which is
then overwritten by new memories. In addition, sleep deprivation can cause brain deterioration, which may
help explain memory loss in the elderly.
4. Sleep Deprivation and Sex Drive
Ladies and gents, if you have a sexual appetite, be sure not to spoil it with a lack of sleep. Sleep deprived
men and women who report lower libidos tend to have less interest in sex due to less energy and
sleepiness. Men who suffer from sleep apnea could also be at risk for low sex drive and abnormally low
testosterone levels. A study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found about half of the
men who suffered from severe sleep apnea secreted lower than average levels of testosterone during the
night.
5. Sleep Deprivation and Heart Disease
Excessive sleepiness due to the attempt to maintain a work/life balance has become too common in our
society and is dangerous for our heart health. Getting six hours or less of sleep each night causes the body
to produce more chemical and hormones that can lead to heart disease, according to a study published in
the European Heart Journal. These hormones and chemicals can increase the risk of stroke and other
conditions, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity.
6. Sleep Deprivation and Brain Damage
Men, be sure to get enough shut-eye to protect your mental health. A study conducted by Swedish
researchers found one night with no sleep can lead to an increase in the levels of molecules that are
biomarkers for brain damage. Typically, an increase in the brain molecules neuron-specific enolase (NSE),
and S100 calcium-binding protein B (S-100B) indicate brain tissue has been damaged or that there is a
fault in the brain-blood barrier or sometimes both.
7. Sleep Deprivation and Death
Heart problems and diabetes arent the only conditions that can lead to sleep deprivation-related death.
People who sleep anywhere from six-and-a-half to seven-and-a-half hours tend to outlive those who sleep
for less. A study in the journal Sleep found men who got less than six hours of sleep a night were four
times more likely to die over a 14-year period. Several nights of too little sleep can lead to more than 700
genetic changes that could significantly affect your health.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults get about seven to nine hours of sleep each night. This
requirement is contingent on genetic and physiological factors, along with age, sex, and sleeping patterns.
Sleep deprivation is in your control, and you can prevent the seven dangerous effects it has on your health.
http://www.medicaldaily.com/sleep-deprivation-7-dangerous-effects-long-term-sleeping-problems-
271383

https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/10-results-sleep-loss#1

..

What is sleep deprivation?

Sleep deprivation is when an individual gets less sleep than needed to feel
awake and alert. People vary in how little sleep is needed to be considered
sleep-deprived. Some people such as older adults seem to be more
resistant to the effects of sleep deprivation, while others, especially children
and young adults, are more vulnerable.

When an individual does not get enough sleep to feel awake and alert, they begin to experience symptoms of
sleep deprivation.
 Fast facts on sleep deprivation
Here are some key points about sleep deprivation. More detail and supporting
information is in the main article.

Around 59% of Americans get 7 or more hours of sleep at night, while 40%
get less than 7 hours

A person who has gone for even one night without sleep is as impaired as a
legally intoxicated individual

After only 16 hours of continually being awake, most individuals begin to

show a substantial slowing of reaction time

Because it is used extensively during normal waking hours, the brain's

prefrontal cortex is particularly vulnerable to the effects of sleep loss

The sleep-deprived brain may not be as capable of detecting positive

emotions as a more rested one

Sleep loss alters normal functioning of attention and disrupts the ability to
focus on environmental sensory input

Lack of sleep has been implicated as playing a significant role in tragic

accidents involving airplanes, ships, trains, automobiles and nuclear power
plants

Sleeping less than 5 hours a night increases the risk of death from all causes
by 15%

Children and young adults are most vulnerable to the negative effects of
sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation can be a symptom of an undiagnosed sleep disorder or

other medical problem

When you fail to get your required amount of sufficient sleep, you start to
accumulate a sleep debt
 Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are estimated to cost the US over
$100 billion annually in lost productivity, medical expenses, sick leave and
property damage.

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) 2015 recommendations for

appropriate sleep durations for specific age groups are:

Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours each day

Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours

Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours

Preschoolers (3-5): 10-13 hours

School-age children (6-13): 9-11 hours

Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours

Adults (18-64): 7-9 hours

Older adults (65+): 7-8 hours.

After around 16 hours of staying awake, the body attempts to balance the
need for sleep. If sleep is thwarted, the brain obtains sleep through short
sleep attacks (microsleeps). This is an uncontrollable brain response that
renders a person unable to process environmental stimulation and sensory
information for a brief amount of time.

A person's eyes often remain open during microsleeps, but they are
essentially "zoned out." As the nature of these attacks is sudden, for a
sleep-deprived individual operating heavy machinery or driving, the
consequences can be catastrophic to both the individual, as well as
innocent bystanders.
Microsleeps will continue to occur despite an individual's forced attempt to
stay awake, and because of this inbuilt sleep mechanism, it is extremely
difficult for an individual to remain awake for more than 48 hours straight.

Learn more about why we sleep, including what happens to the body
during sleep.

References : https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/307334.php
What Is Sleep Deprivation? An introduction to Sleep
Debt

Sleep deprivation is defined as not obtaining adequate total sleep. When

someone is in a chronic sleep-restricted state theyll notice excessive daytime
sleepiness, fatigue, clumsiness, and weight gain or weight loss. In addition, being
sleep-deprived affects both the brain and cognitive function.

Interestingly, theres a subset of cases whereby sleep deprivation can actually

lead to an enhanced mood, alertness, and increased energy. Note that relatively
few studies have compared the different effects between chronic partial-sleep
restriction and acute total-sleep deprivation, and the total absence of sleep over
long periods of time has not been studied in humans. That being said, long-term
total sleep deprivation resulted in death in lab animals.

What are the side effects of sleep deprivation?

Excessive daytime sleepiness
Accidents from lack of attention
Moodiness
Hunger
Other health dangers listed below

sleep deprivation human

The Dangers and Side Effects of Sleep Deprivation

Diabetes

Its now believed that people who experience short-term sleep restriction are not
able to process glucose as efficiently as those who get eight hours of sleep; which
means that they have an increased likelihood of developing Type 2 Diabetes. A
study of more than 1400 participants conducted in 2005 showed that people
who habitually slept for only a few hours were more prone to experience
symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes.
Healing

In the year 2005, a study was conducted on a group of rats: for five days the rats
were deprived of REM sleep and, compared to a group of rats which
were not deprived of dream sleep, the results showed no significant changes in
their wound-healing ability. These rats were allowed NREM (deep) sleep.

The Brain

We now know that sleep deprivation adversely affects the brain and cognitive
function. A study completed by the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System in San
Diego and the UCSD School of Medicine in the year 2000 monitored activity in the
brains of sleep-deprived people whilst they performed basic verbal learning
tasks by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Sleep and brain

The results of the study showed that, in sleepier subjects, more activity was
found in certain areas of the prefrontal cortex of the brain: The prefrontal cortex
is an area of the brain that supports such mental faculties as logical and practical
(means-ends) reasoning and working memory. These results were interpreted
by the researchers as indicating that, in order to complete a specific task, the
average non-sleep-deprived subjects brain needed to exert a lot more effort than
the brain of an average non-sleep deprived person. They were able to infer from
these results that the brains of sleep-deprived people were trying to compensate
for the adverse effects created by sleep deprivation.

Growth

A survey conducted in 1999 revealed that sleep deprivation caused reduced

cortisol secretion the following day the result of increased slow-wave sleep. It
was also revealed that, whilst suppressing growth hormones, sleep deprivation
enhanced activity on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis: this is the
regulator of body functions such as the immune system, digestion, sex, mood, or
energy usage; in addition to controlling reactions to stress. This study supports
the findings of previous studies where adrenal insufficiency was observed in
idiopathic hypersomnia.

Working Memory and Attention

Besides the many physical consequences of insufficient sleep, perhaps the most
important consequences of sleep deprivation are deficits in working memory and
attention. Lapses in ordinary mundane routines can cause worrying results; from
missing words or sentences while taking notes to omitting important ingredients
while cooking. It appears that carrying out tasks that require attention is in direct
correlation to the number of hours the person sleeps each night; with these
functions declining with the number hours of sleep deprivation. Methods such
as choice-reaction time tasks are used to test working memory. Sadly, these
attentional lapses can move into critical domains whereby the consequences
could well result in life or death: industrial accidents and car crashes can be the
result of inattentiveness, directly attributable to sleep deprivation.

Researchers typically use the (PVT) psychomotor vigilance task in order to

measure the magnitude of attention deficits: this simply requires the patient to
press a button at pseudo-random intervals in response to a light. An error is
recorded when the patient fails to press the button in response to the light
(stimulus), and this is noted as being attributable to the micro-sleeps occurring
due to sleep deprivation.

Other Effects of Sleep Deprivation

When a patient has continuous muscular activity, but insufficient rest, we see
other issues becoming more prevalent in sleep-deprived patients; such as
cramping. Muscle fascia tears, hernias, and other problems usually associated
with physical overexertion have been reported in extreme cases of sleep
deprivation. At the extreme end of the scale, sleep deprivation can mimic
psychosis, where distorted perceptions can lead to inappropriate behavioral and
emotional responses.

Depression

Interestingly, there have been studies that show sleep restriction might have
potential when it comes to treating depression. We know that people suffering
from depression experience earlier incidences of REM sleep plus increased rapid
eye movements; and monitoring a patients EEG and waking them during bouts
of REM sleep appears to produce a therapeutic effect, thus alleviating symptoms
of depression. When sleep deprived, up to 60% of patients show signs of
immediate recovery; however, most relapse the next night. Its believed that this
effect is linked to increases in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Its
also been shown that, in normal people, chronotype is related to the effect that
sleep deprivation has on mood: following sleep deprivation, people who prefer
mornings become more depressed, while those who prefer evenings show a
marked improvement in their mood.

In 2014, a thorough evaluation of the human metabolome in sleep deprivation

discovered that 27 metabolites are increased following 24 waking hours, with
suggestions that tryptophan, serotonin, and taurine may be contributing to the
antidepressive effect.

Weight Gain or Weight Loss

When rats were exposed to prolonged sleep deprivation the result was that both
food intake and energy expenditure increased, resulting in a net weight loss, and
ultimately leading to death. The hypothesis of this study is that when moderate
chronic sleep debt goes hand-in-hand with habitual short sleep, energy
expenditure and increased appetite are encouraged; and, in societies where high-
calorie food is freely available the equation is tipped towards food intake rather
than expenditure. Nationally representative samples used in several large studies
suggest that one of the causes of the United States obesity problem could
possibly be due to the corresponding decrease in the average number of hours
that people sleep.
 obesity and sleep
These findings indicate that the hormones that regulate appetite and glucose
metabolism could be disrupted because of sleep deprivation. It appears that the
association between obesity and sleep deprivation is strongest in young and
middle-age adults. On the other hand, there are scientists who believe that
related problems, such as sleep apnea, together with the physical discomfort of
obesity, reduce a persons likelihood of getting a good nights sleep.

References : https://www.sleepassociation.org/sleep/sleep-deprivation/