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Sleep Deprivation Can Make You Ill

Author: LizBeresford Total views: 2 Word Count: 545

"I just don't have time to sleep, it is such a waste of time!" Is this how you feel about sleep? Just too busy to fit in eight hours of shut eye every night? Do you feel proud of taking less sleep than other people?

I have to tell straight up, you are very mistaken. Sleep deprivation is so dangerous that it can even kill you. It isn't a waste of time to sleep it is simply a fact of life. We must sleep.

If you have built up a chronic sleep debt over several weeks you are suffering from a dangerous sleep deprivation problem. Studies show that there are many problems associated with this. Here are a just a few of them:

-Lack of sleep can shorten your life. Death from all causes is lowest among adults who get seven to eight hours of sleep nightly, and significantly higher among those who sleep less than seven.

-Your immune system takes a battering when you are sleep deprived. Subjects allowed only 4 hours sleep for a six night period were infected with flu virus. Their immune system produced half the number of white cells it normally would in response to this attack.

So in that study immune response was reduced by 50%. That is huge! How will you fight off a serious infection if your immune response is so sluggish? That same study, by researcher Eve van Cauter at the University of Chicago, also found:

a) Heart rate and blood pressure were raised.

b) Insulin resistance was up. Its a precursor of diabetes.

c) The hormone Leptin was reduced. This causes an increase in appetite and often results in weight gain.

-Intellectual performance and the ability to think critically is severely reduced.

-Reaction time is slowed, which could be fatal in some situations Sleep deprivation has been the cause of numerous accidents and combined with alcohol it can be lethal. When we are overtired we take mini sleeps without even realizing it. Imagine taking a mini sleep when driving or operating dangerous equipment. If you have a large sleep debt you are a danger to yourself and others.

Notice how often driver fatigue is mentioned in reports on various accidents. The one we probably remember best is the Exon Valdize, but airplane and road traffic accidents are frequently put down to driver fatigue in other words, sleep deprivation.

Nowadays few responsible people would get behind the wheel of a car after a drinking session, but we still think nothing of driving when completely worn out and lacking sleep. People take a 24 hour plane ride to the other hemisphere, hop off the plane and into a hire car in which they drive on an unfamiliar side of the road for several hours. I am sure you don't want to meet them on the road.

So the bottom line is that no matter how hard it is to follow a sensible sleep routine you must do it. Going to bed late on a regular basis and suffering from chronic sleep deprivation can be lethal for you or for someone you else.

Insomnia is a problem for many people today and it is usually caused by stress and anxiety. If this is you its important that you learn how to relax. Basic sleep hygiene is also very important.

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About the Author

If you are having trouble getting enough sleep and want a natural remedy you should now check out the Sleep Sound Insomnia CD. Just listen as you are lying in bed at night and go to sleep easily and quickly. Money back guarantee.

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