Lack of sleep: Consequences?

[Gilded]

Yay for me! After several weeks of less night sleep than I actually need (6-7 hours really isn't enough, not for me at least), I've got myself a fever. I should have seen this coming... So, the question is, how seriously does lack of sleep affect the human immunity system? Any other consequences?

[aurigus]

The Immune System and Sleeping Habits

 

Adequate rest and a properly functioning immune system are closely related. Sleep deprivation appears to compromise the immune system by altering the blood levels of specialized immune cells and important proteins called cytokines, resulting in a greater than normal chance of infections.

 

 

http://www.sleep-deprivation.com/html/effects.php3

[5614]

im a bit over tired at the moment and im just feeling sleepy already... so although its only 8:42PM im still about to go and get ready for bed... merely coz i dont like to feel tired!

 

if i didnt get an early night tonight then what the last two posts have said could come true... and i dont want that.

 

unlucky gilded... get well soon

[Gilded]

"Without adequate rest, the brain's ability to function quickly deteriorates. The brain works harder to counteract sleep deprivation effects, but operates less effectively: concentration levels drop, and memory becomes impaired. Speech becomes slurred and fragmented, and mental reaction time slows. "

 

Sounds like me alright! Luckily, the fever part lasted only for about a day. Yet I'm still quite tired. Screwed up my math exam today too! Yay.

[Primarygun]

How to sleep effectively?

I always feel tired thought I always sleep very early.

[Gilded]

I think there was a thread here that was about something like "How to achieve effective REM-sleep"... Can't remember really, because of memory loss due to lack of sleep. Oh, the irony!

[Ophiolite]

Sleep deprivation studies have shown unstable mental behaviour setting in after prolonged periods without sleep. Based on a handful of occasions when I have been sleepless for extended periods I know that above thirty five hours awake I become increasingly paranoid, convinced that colleagues are plotting against me and family and friends are lying.

 

Though, as they say, just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you.

[YT2095]

there is a carefull and necesary ballance needed between Catabolic (sleep/rest) and Anabolic (awake/active) phases, the catabolic state is for healing and immune system rejuvenation, anabolic phases are mainly from growth.

 

the rest is easy to work out from there

[Firedragon52]

I think you also start to hallucinate if you lack enough sleep. I would be real interested in knowing why.

[YT2095]

I think you also start to hallucinate if you lack enough sleep. I would be real interested in knowing why.

yes you do, I can attest to that from personal experience!

 

I did well over 72 hours without sleep, had LOTS of work on and so I don`t sleep untill I`m finished, althout about 2 days in I did got for a few pints and found that drinking didn`t get me a beer buzz either.

needless to say, whilst sitting in my Lab still working, there was a pigeon on the heater next to me, it had been there for a while, I`de got tired of the current series of work and decided to have a 5 min break, I turned to look at the pigeon, and there was nothing there!

 

about 4 or 5 hours later, replaced a worn out solding iron tip, I noticed a spider on my bench crawling but wasn`t actualy moving anywhere, I continued work and the though occured that maybe this spider was perhaps stuck in some solder fluc and COULDN`T move, solder flus being corrosive, I thought I`de rescue the little guy. there was no spider there, it was a small peice of tobacco from a cig.

 

THEN I knew it was time for bed!

[Gilded]

Why even get drunk when you can just skip your night sleep to achieve a similar effect! I wonder if they are going to force people to pay alc. tax for staying awake too long.

 

Psychosis is also something that you might suffer if you stay awake really, really long. Luckily, I haven't experienced it. However, a talking soda machine told me so and even hit me in the head. :< I however showed him, and I even beat up his friend, the toaster, who said he was in the furniture business. Never trust anyone who's in the furniture business. They deal with PINE TABLES!

[TimeTraveler]

I seem to find everything funny when I am sleep deprived. I laugh at the dumbest things, then I know it's time for bed.

[galaxygirl]

A few weeks ago I had to go for three days without sleep because I ended up procrastinating...again. On the second day I became delirious and just blanked out of everything. In school I would forget where I was and didn't remember where I was supposed to go until a friend found me and brought me to the right class (which was in another building). A couple days later I got some tests back which I don't remember taking... actually, I don't remember anything else from those days except for what I was told later on.

[CPL.Luke]

can sleep deprivation be cummulative?

 

for instance if you get less than 5 hours a night for several weeks

[Spaceman]

Lack of sleep on a regular basis causes Sayanora syndrome,with a touch of Ophiolite anusorus.So get some sleep guys..night all

[Primarygun]

What is your stress come from?

Mine is almost from my studies.

Later on , I think it will be from the public examinations.

[Geode]

Firedragon52 wrote: I think you also start to hallucinate if you lack enough sleep. I would be real interested in knowing why.

 

Data processing? I haven't seen anything about this, but if the brain takes care of most of the days' inputs while asleep, and doesn't get enough, it'll start doing the heavy-duty processing while awake. I'd hazard a guess that this would lead to hallucinations. If dreams can be thought of as a form of hallucination, it can be reasoned therefrom that not getting enough sleep might cause the brain to 'dream' while awake.

 

Speaking for myself; when I've had a busy day, when I've engaged myself in learning something new, when I've been doing a lot of writing and/or story-building, when I've used my brain a lot, I sleep longer and harder than when I haven't. I surmise that the brain uses sleep to do the majority of what data-shuffling it needs to do, and when it doesn't get enough it tries to do it when awake.

 

I admit to more or less abject conjecture, I've seen nothing from the pros suggesting this. Maybe I need to get some sleep.

 

 

Geode

[Scott]

Anyone know if being a teenager effects how tired you are? Even when I get 10-12 hours of sleep, im still tired (which is only on the weekends, I only get around 5-7 hours on school nights).

[galaxygirl]

Teenagers should get around 8 to 10 hours of sleep, which is more than the 6-8 hours reccomended for adults. Sometimes oversleeping can make you tired.

[Gilded]

"Teenagers should get around 8 to 10 hours of sleep"

 

That's what the buggers keep telling me but I showed... *yawn* them... No problems at school either because of sleep deprivation... OH GOD IT'S TUESDAY! I'M 24 HOURS LATE! Must go to school... Wha? ZzzZzzZzz...

[birdo118]

as a response to a number of posts here........

sleep deprevation is absolutely cummulative. If you dont sleep for 5 days, you will have worse effects than if you dont sleep for 2. This is because of the accumulation of stress on your body. Sleep is meant to give your brain a rest, therefore, if you dont sleep, your brain doesnt function properly and works slowly, like tired muscles.

 

in response to the begining of the thread, sleep deprevation is the cause of those factors. As i said earlier in this post, if your brain does not get enough rest, then in does not function well. The excess stress on the brain and the other organs in the body caused by the lack of proper rest is the cause of all your ailments. Just try to get more sleep more often and your symptoms should subside.

 

a good example of why sleep is good is the fact that all doctors will tell you to get rest. This rest lets your body recuperate.

[TseTseFly]

Lack of sleep recently is also linked to how easily one gains or loses wait. The less you sleep the higher the chance of weight gain is.

 

I'm a teenager still... and can say that lack of sleep leaves me stressed, unmotivated, and more prone to fights. Then too much sleep leaves me in pajamas, laziness, and tired all day. Plus I get mad of the hours I wasted sleeping and could of been doing something else. For some reason, if I sleep about 7 hours I get a spurt of energy for the day but I'm not too grumpy or tired. Whatever works. Being a teenager is very complicated.

[Gilded]

Whoah. I tried to manage with approximately 6 hour night sleep. Now I have had minor diarrhea for some time, fever, a sore throat, headache, concentration problems and trouble being able to walk straight. I think I'm not masochistic enough to continue this much longer.

[Nevermore]

Can lost sleep be made up? Also, are there any negative affects of staying up late, but sleeping in later?

[TseTseFly]

Negative effects on a would-be productive life. If you don't have plans or appointments then it won't hurt your body. The only thing I am against about staying up late then sleeping in is it messes up my body clock. I like being able to get up early when I need to.