Trivia: Sleep Deprivation

No matter how hectic life gets, you should always make the time for a good night's rest. Here are some compelling reasons why:

Weight Gain

According to a review article published on June 27, 2006 in the International Journal of Obesity, too little sleep could be one of the culprits behind the obesity epidemic. The US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the US Nurses' Health Study, and other studies have shown a link between a lack of sleep and weight gain. Sleep deprivation increases ghrelin hormone levels, which signal hunger, and decreases leptin hormone levels, which signal satiety. The overall effect is a boost in appetite, regardless of whether or not we actually need the calories. This effect has been shown in both rats and humans.

Memory

It's common knowledge that you should get a good night's rest before a big test, but the mechanics of how sleep aids memory are just beginning to be understood. A study published on December 12, 2006 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that sleep-deprived rats produced higher levels of the stress hormone corticosterone. These stress hormones collected in a part of the brain called the hippocampus, and stunted the growth of new neurons that are crucial for forming new memories.

Sleep occurs in five distinct stages, and questions like which stages are important for memory formation and how they affect different types of memory are still hotly debated. Research published on November 30, 2006 in Nature suggest that slow-wave sleep (stages 3 and 4) are important for consolidating our memories of facts and events. The scientists sent electrical currents through the brains of sleeping subjects to mimic the delta waves that are naturally produced by the brain during slow-wave sleep. The subjects scored 8% better on a word memory task after a night's sleep with electrical stimulation than without. Once again, the hippocampus part of the brain was involved, and the delta waves produced during slow-wave sleep are thought to help our brains solidify memories of past events.

General Performance

According to a 2002 study conducted by the US Army, soldiers performed worse after a week of sleep deprivation and stressful combat situations than if they were drunk or sedated. And Navy Seals who slept for only one hour during 73 hours of duty showed slower reaction times, reduced vigilance, and had trouble remembering key details. During one quick-decision test, the average number of errors climbed from one or two to more than 15.

Stress and Disease Susceptibility

Much research has shown that a chronic lack of sleep increases stress and weakens our immune systems, making us more vulnerable to everything from the common cold to cancer. A recent study published in the September 2006 issue of the European Journal of Neuroscience found that sleep-deprived rats produced more inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) – the same response they'd have if the immune system was facing a hostile threat. Furthermore, there is a link between high levels of iNOS and the C-reactive protein, which is a strong predictor for heart disease.

See our earlier trivia on the subject of sleep deprivation.

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