Brain
Consequences to Sleep Loss, 2
Researchers at the University of
Chicago found that rats, deprived of sleep for a long period of time, don’t
live much past two weeks. It so happens that humans who are kept awake for too
long begin to show some of the same signs as those study rats. Within the first
twenty-four hours of sleep deprivation, the person’s blood pressure begins to
rise, then the metabolism processes start to go haywire, which results in an uncontrollable
craving for carbohydrates. Soon the body temperature drops and the immune
system gets weaker. If this goes on for too long, there is a good chance that
the mind will turn against itself, triggering brain phenomenon in which the person
experiences visions and hears phantom sounds akin to a bad acid trip. At the
same time, the ability to make simple decisions or recall obvious facts drops
off severely. It is a bizarre downward spiral that is all the more peculiar
because it can be stopped (if it isn’t too late) by sleeping. Are you making
obtaining the sleep your brain needs
a priority?
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