DANGERS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION

Here's what happens when you don't get enough sleep:

DAYTIME DROWSINESS
MICROSLEEPS: Brief episodes of sleep, lasting only few seconds at a time, enough to cause an accident
SLEEP SEIZURES: Unintended longer episodes of sleep that occur without warning
MOOD SHIFTS, INCLUDING DEPRESSION, INCREASED IRRITABILITY, AND LOSS OF SENSE OF HUMOR
STRESS, ANXIETY, AND LOSE OF COPING SKILLS
INTEREST IN SOCIALIZING WITH OTHERS
WEIGHT GAIN
FEELINGS OF BEING CHILLED
REDUCED IMMUNITY TO DISEASE AND VIRAL INFECTION
FEELINGS OF LETHARGY
REDUCED PRODUCTIVITY
REDUCED ABILITY TO CONCENTRATE
REDUCED ABILITY TO REMEMBER
REDUCED ABILITY TO HANDLE COMPLEX TASKS
REDUCED ABILITY TO THINK LOGICALLY
REDUCED ABILITY TO ASSIMILATE AND ANALYZE NEW INFORMATION
REDUCED ABILITY TO THINK CRITICALLY
REDUCED DECISION-MAKING SKILLS
REDUCED VOCABULARY AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS
REDUCED CREATIVITY
REDUCED MOTOR SKILLS AND COORDINATION
REDUCED PERCEPTUAL SKILLS

Often we are unaware of our own reduced capabilities because we become habituated to low levels of alertness. Many of us have been sleepy for such a long time that we do not know what it is like to feel wide awake! To determine if you are one of the many sleep-deprived individuals, refer back to Self Test B.

Why Do We Fall Asleep and Remain Awake?

The Homeostatic Sleep Drive

Sleep is induced and maintained by our homeostatic sleep drive, a physiological process that strives to obtain the amount of sleep needed to provide for a stable level of daytime alertness. This process is active throughout the night and keeps us asleep. For most people, it takes at least eight hour of sleep to provide for sixteen hours of sustained wakefulness. The homeostatic sleep drive continues its work during the daytime. As for out waking hours, the need to sleep is continuously building, yet not powerful enough to overtake wakefulness. However, if we've slept too little during the pervious night and have a sleep debt, the tendency to fall asleep during the day will be significant.

The Clock Dependent
Alerting Process

Wakefulness is induced and maintained by a clock-dependent alerting process, which is controlled by our biological clock. The clock is actually two tiny neural structures located in the center of the brain. The clock controls the rhythms of alertness,body temperature, and hormone production. These rhythms are orderly series of psychological and physiological changes that occur every 24 hours, circadian rhythms. The clock is affected by exposure to light. Daytime tells it to stop secretion of melatonin which induces sleep and promotes wakefulness. Yet, our clock functions even without external cues like light and will tend to fall on a 25 hour cycle.

THE CLOCK: 24 vs. 25 HOURS

Living in a normal environment, your internal 25 hour clock must adjust to the 24 hour society. This one hour is tolerated by your body. but if you maintain different bedtimes and rising times for the work week and on weekends, or if you are a shift worker with frequent rotations, of if you fly across multiple time zones, your biological clock needs more adjustment to get in sync with your new schedule. Otherwise, your "alarm clock" for alertness will be buzzing at the wrong time in your sleep/wake schedule. You will be sleepy when you want to be awake and awake when you should be sleeping. It is important to keep your biological clock in absolute synchrony with your daily routine so the hours you spend in bed will correspond with the sleepy phase of the circadian rhythm and the hours you are out of bed match the awake phase. The only way to do this is to maintain a regular sleep schedule: GO TO BED SAME TIME EVERY NIGHT AND WAKE UP THE SAME TIME EVERYDAY!