How does lack of sleep affect you in the long run - in a few years
By Pitstop
@pitstop (15551)
Australia
April 19, 2009 5:33am CST
Most of us are aware that a few days of lack or less sleep makes you irritable, decreases your attention, can make you clumsy and affect your driving etc.
What about if the problem persists over years in stretches and is chronic?
I'm not talking about staying awake every night, but losing sleep a few days and the deficit keeps adding up over weeks and years slowly
Does it cause you to age faster? Does it decrease your life expectancy?
Does it affect your heart and blood pressure? And what about psychological problems?
How does the brain cope?
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4 responses
@smacksman (6053)
•
19 Apr 09
If you loose sleep for a night or two then you will recover from that lack in a day or so. No prolonged problem for the future. Your 'batteries' get re-charged and that is that.
You can train yourself into any sleep pattern that you need to do. For instance, for single handed sailing you get used to sleeping only 10 or 15 minutes at a time every day and night for weeks at a time.
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@smacksman (6053)
•
19 Apr 09
No. As I say, you just train yourself to another sleeping regime. It is not too difficult and many people like shift workers have to do it to give us a better life.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
19 Apr 09
From what I heard, it makes you get more belly fat, but that might not be true. It could be that you gain weight first and then find it harder to sleep. So it depends on what comes first. I do not think it causes you to age faster, but it increases your risk of a stroke. So what you have to do is to not worry as much, not have any distraction before going to bed, etc.
What happens is that your brain is playing things in your mind and what you have to do is to calm down and not be too concerned.
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@kapil_poundarik (960)
• India
19 Apr 09
well you should better ask this question to some doctor , he can give u a better advice than i can give.
well but for somethings i can say that they will happen if u keep ur sleep lacking. u will fell very irritated every time also i think that it is surely going to affect ur psychological status. the brain will also not scope properly with such a situation. so u should sleep 8 hrs in a day other wise u can have many problems.
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