Now that we have a firm understanding of sleep as a process, we might often ask ourselves, what’s the point? Is Sleep deprivation really that bad for you? Logically, one would assume no. If sleep deprivation is so bad, then there would honestly be no valid reason for people to stay up so late, yet you see people walking around campus as late as 3-5 am during both weekdays and weekends. The marginal benefit of staying up and being productive must, therefore, be better than the marginal cost of sleep deprivation. But what are these costs? As such, our job is to elucidate contextually the exact repercussions of sleep. Afterall, to make a decision, one must know all sides of the choice.
- Decreased concentration and Memory span: Perhaps the most obvious problem with being sleep deprived is its critical role in memory consolidation. Getting enough sleep to go through our REM cycles is vital for our retention of long-term memory. A big result of sleep deprivation, therefore, is having trouble concentrating and remembering relatively recent concepts that you think you know already. In fact, the mental impairments caused by sleep deprivation have been shown by studies to be similar if not worse as going through life while drunk. After 17 hours without sleep, mental performance and coordination were rated to be worse than having a blood alcohol level (BAC) of 0.05. That’s awfully close to the 0.08% threshold where you are legally judged to be mentally impaired in the United States.
- Diminished Immune System: During sleep, your body’s immune system naturally builds up infection-fighting substances known as cytokines. This broad category of small proteins plays an essential role in helping fight foreign invaders mainly through their role in cell signaling and communication. Substances such as interferons and interleukins serve to not only communicate the “location” of invaders but also help regulate white blood cell activity (vital for fighting infections) and inflammation (body’s natural response to localize the injurious agents).
- Weight Gain: Perhaps what’s most interesting about the issues caused by sleep deprivation is its association with increased diabetes risk and negative impact on metabolism. When we are sleep deprived, our body attempts to correct this issue by doing two things: increasing Grehlin production and increasing our amygdala sensitivity. The hormone Grehlin is often secreted naturally by our bodies when we are in need of nutrients. Its often seen as the “hunger” hormone and is the very thing that makes us “hungry” when we are in need of food. Sleep deprivation catapults our bodies Grehlin production out of order causing it to secrete more than is necessary making us hungry when in reality we don’t need the food. In addition, our increased amygdala sensitivity (the part of the brain responsible for emotional processing) makes the slightest appeals to food almost irresistible. Furthermore, research studies have also shown sleep deprivation being correlated to increased insulin resistance (a condition where insulin, the hormone necessary for glucose uptake, becomes less effective in doing its job). In other words, sleep deprivation causes an increased risk of diabetes by increasing our want for food while at the same time reducing our metabolic ability to break down and digest food (in particular glucose) which when done over time can be rather detrimental to our health.
The physical and mental tolls sleep deprivation has on our health is evident and even now, further studies are being done to further elucidate the hazards of this habit. As someone who experiences chronic sleep deprivation, it is utterly interesting to realize the detriments this has on health. So is it worth it? I guess that depends on how much you value that A on your next exam. Realistically speaking, however, getting enough sleep is likely one of the best ways to study: by allowing your brain ample time to consolidate your memory and rejuvenate your mental capacity.