Physical effects of sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation symptoms

The physical effects of sleep deprivation

The symptoms of sleep deprivation, whether emotional, mental or physical, seem to almost seep into everything that you do.  It drains your energy, makes you grumpy, often a 'pain to live with' and totally miserable.  One of the worrying aspects is of course the effects it has on your health:

• impaired immunity
• changes in hormone levels
• weight problems
• accelerated aging
• diabetes
• cancer
• high blood pressure
  

I think it does not really help much to think about the effects in that way.  It is far more useful to think about what exactly the effect is on your day-to-day functioning.  What do you need to do to get support, whilst you are grappling with that?  How you can begin to address the underlying cause?  The physical effects will sort themselves, once your sleep pattern is reordered.

Why you might be functioning ‘below normal’

Insomnia (chronic sleeplessness) causes a range problems. It impairs:

• decision making
• concentration
• problem solving
• thinking
• handling stress
• moderation of emotions
• linked with: depression and anxiety

No surprises here then, but it may help to see it listed to help you begin to make sense of it all.  It also helps to communicate effectively with people around you, when you can articulate exactly what is happening with you.  Whilst the above list mental factors, it is easy to spot how they all lead to further stress with consequential physical effects of sleep deprivation.

Circadian rhythm

Your bodily functions follow a natural rhythm over a 24 hour cycle - no news to you I am sure - you will have observed it the animals and plants around you too.  If you look what exactly your bodyclock regulates, in addition to sleeping and waking, you will understand how easily sleep deprivation can disrupt many of the physiological and biochemical processes in your body (as well as your behaviour):

• blood pressure
• pulse rate
• digestion
• body temperature

These aspects of your physical health are linked and inter-linked with just about every other process in your body.  Your sleep-wake cycle is therefore not something you would want to 'play around' with, by staying up all hours of the night to watch a screen and excite yourself with whatever - be it video games, tv or film.

Working shifts and physical effects of sleep deprivation

Our whole physiology is geared up for the body/mind to be active during the day and to sleep at night.  It is therefore no wonder that working shifts causes sleep problems, potentially resulting in serious physical effects of sleep deprivation. Sleep during the day does not benefit from daylight cues that influence melatonin production.

There is some evidence that the disruption of the normal sleep-wake cycle/circadian rhythm can potentially cause cancer. (See further links.)

The advice for good sleep hygiene, which you find on the page on natural sleep remedies, is also applicable here.

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Sleep stages and dreaming

During healthy sleep, so called ‘slow-wave’ sleep (restorative) and dream sleep alternate. Dreaming helps the mind to deal with the emotional arousal left over from the day’s unfulfilled expectations (see Dreaming Reality - How dreaming keeps us sane, or can drive us mad, by Joe Griffin and Ivan Tyrrell 2004).

Excessive worrying leads to extended periods of dreaming, when the brain is almost as active as it is during day.

Longer periods of dreaming lead to less time for the restorative slow-wave sleep affecting mind and body.

Sleep deprivation symptoms and dreaming

In addition to the effects already mentioned, longer dream periods are exhausting for your brain.  You may therefore wake up really early in the morning, feeling tired and lacking in any kind of motivation and energy.  The cycle continues as you worry about how on earth you are going to cope with whatever the day brings.

Exhaustion is one of the most obvious and immediatly noticable physical effects of sleep deprivation (as well as you probably barely able to function mentally).  Exhaustion means that you are less able to cope with the day-to-day tasks, which leads for further stress on your adrenal glands. (See adrenal fatigue symptoms)

Potential causes of sleep deprivation

Knowing the underlying cause of your insomnia will help you to decide what you can do about it.  If you haven't already - begin by seeing your GP to rule out any of the problems below. You will find help with emotional problems on pages of this site.

Medication
Among others: certain antidepressants, beta-blockers, sedatives.
Emotional problems
Anxiety, depression (though these can also be caused by insomnia!), trauma Sudden traumatic disturbances in sleep Feeling unsafe Real and present concerns about the health and well-being of someone in your family.
Medical problems
Allergies, arthritis, asthma, cancer, fibromyalgia, heart disease, hypertension, asthma, emphysema, rheumatism, hyperthyroidism, pain, among others.
Substance abuse
Alcohol, cocaine, nicotine and sedatives.

The help of a Human Givens Therapist in sorting out your sleep problems can be invaluable.  The therapist will use a variety of techniques/approaches, making the treatment very personal to you.

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You may also be interested in:

Nervous breakdown signs and symptoms
Depressed or sad?
PTSD symptoms
Adrenal fatigue syndrome
Managing stress in the workplace

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Other helpful links:

PubMed - Study shows sleep deprivation reduced facial expressiveness
International Agency for Research on Cancer - Shiftwork that involves circadian disruption is probably carcinogenic to humans

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News:

21 Oct 2011 - Daily Yomiuri: Insomnia soars in disaster-hit prefectures
23 Aug 2011 - Wall Street Journal: A sleep battle of the sexes
26 Feb 2011 - Sciencedaily: Round-the-clock lifestyle could disrupt metabolism, brain and behaviour
17 March 2009 - The Independent: Does working night shifts cause cancer?