The Deprivation to Sleep

If you're reading this post in the middle or past midnight, you're more likely sleep deprived. Like me. I think a lot of people including myself have become so accustomed to sleeping so late that it turns into not just a habit but a lifestyle. We sleep so little that we sometimes reach the point where we question why sleep is important. I mean everybody knows that sleep is very significant in order for us to think straight, but because we obviously lack the sleep we need, our heads go into different directions, we start to think of unusual things, we start to zone out most of the times or in my case, I start to talk to myself beginning with side comments like "Sleep is for the weak" or "What is sleep?"

I guess we deprive ourselves of sleep because we are so determined and dedicated to the task that we're doing that we forgot that we are also human, that our bodies become tired and fatigue, that the twitching of our eyelids basically meant that we should shut down our computer screen and that our brains can't function the way we want them 24/7. But there are actually cases where our brains are like in "hyperdrive" during the late hours, maybe that's why I'm typing this post a quarter past 2 in the morning. Nevertheless, we should see the importance of sleep, I'm telling you, it's not a waste of time. But if you still think that you are some kind of vampire who doesn't need sleep. Here are 5 sleep and sleep deprivation facts that will probably keep you awake at night.

1) Sleep-deprived people make risky decisions because they're just too optimistic.

Sleep deprivation makes you more sensitive to positive rewards, but less to negative consequences.

2) Lack of sleep is like being drunk.

A study showed that after 17-19 hours without sleep, people do similarly on performance tests to those close to the safe limit for drink driving. After being awake longer, they do even worse.

3) Lack of sleep makes your brain "dirty"

Although this is one of the more recent additions to this list, some researchers have recently discussed ways that sleep promotes the removal of neural waste from your brain. Whatever that is, it doesn’t sound good.

4) The sensation of falling when half asleep and jerking yourself awake is called ‘hypnic jerks’

No-one is totally sure why hypnic jerks occur but they are deemed to be perfectly healthy. However, they may be increased by anxiety, caffeine or physical activity close to bedtime. They are more frequent in young people and decrease as we get older. 

5) Sleep deprivation makes you crave high-calorie food.

Too little sleep may bring on a form of the “munchies”, according to researchers from the University of Chicago. They found that sleep deprivation boosted brain chemicals for appetite and caused people to crave sweet or salty high-fat foods, in much the same way cannabis does.

After several nights of poor sleep, healthy volunteers who took part in the study reached for snacks containing more calories – and nearly twice as much fat – than ones they favoured after sleeping well for the same period, reports The Guardian.

Participants had trouble resisting the snacks, even when they were full, which might explain why sleep loss raises the risk of obesity.

However, other research has indicated that eating when you should be sleeping is also a contributing factor.

“Human metabolism is closely linked with the internal clock. In circadian synchronicity, you eat and sleep when you should. If you experience circadian asychronicity, then you disrupt the links between the different layers, and this leads to metabolic consequences,” neuroscientist Akhilesh Reddy, told Business Day Live.

One example is that when some people adjust to jet lag, their bodies handle glucose — the sugars in their blood — as though they were diabetic, even if they are not.

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I hope that actually some of those things will help you realize that you do need sleep. Remember, you're a human, not superman or a robot. You're body isn't supposed to be working 24/7. So go to sleep, it's already late.