The Effects of Sleep Deprivation
I love sleep. My bed is one of my favourite places in all the world — as far as I can remember, it always has been. But, like most people, I’ve had moments in my life when I’ve not had enough sleep. Sometimes it’s been short sharp bouts of ‘no rest for the wicked’. Other times it’s been the harder to manage prolonged episodes of disrupted slumber. I find the whole topic of sleep and how it affects our bodies and minds fascinating, so I’m going to delve into how not getting enough shut-eye impacts our life. Read on if you love your bed, or if you’d just like a reason to get to know your pillow better.
More than one kind of sleep debt
Different kinds of sleep deprivation have different effects on our bodies and minds. Both, however, are usually remedied by getting enough sleep.
One kind is acute sleep deprivation. It’s when you stay up for an extended period, say 18-hours or more to study, finish an assignment, or party. Most of us have done this at one point or another in our life and dealt with the consequences the next day. It’s not pretty and it’s certainly not good for us, but if we go back to our normal sleep habits relatively little harm is done. We think. If it doesn’t go on too long.
Then there’s the chronic sleep deprivation type. You may even be one of the 74% of Brits getting less…
