How does sleep deprivation affect your body? Harvard experts explain

At a time when people are running short of time to complete their deadlines, sleep deprivation is bound to happen. While people may not be able to figure out the effects of losing sleep, in the long run, it becomes evident. 

 

Lack of sleep can harm your health and mental well-being, and can also result in weight gain. Sleep deprivation has also been a reason for heart ailments in some. Harvard Medical School explains how it can be categorised and the effects. 

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According to Harvard experts, sleep deprivation can be categorised into complete or partial, depending on the severity and how long it lasts. The common factor in both is the physical and mental effects on the body. 

 

If the individual stays awake for an entire night or longer, going without any sleep at all, it is a complete sleep deprivation. People start to feel the difficulty in completing simple tasks. Performance is highly influenced by fluctuations in circadian rhythms.

 

When people don’t sleep at all for two to three days, they have difficulty completing tasks that demand a high attention level and often experience mood swings, depression, and increased feelings of tension, explained experts. 

 

While in partial sleep deprivation, you do not get 100% of the sleep that you need. After a single night of short sleep, most people function at or near their normal level. Experts observed that after two or more nights of short sleep, people usually show signs of irritability and sleepiness.

 

Both complete and partial sleep deprivation can harm the health, performance, and safety of the individual, sometimes as much as being intoxicated.

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