Are you sleep deprived or just tired? Not getting enough sleep is so common that more than one-third of people do not get enough, despite its importance to health and well-being. Sleep acts as a brain cleaner, clearing away neurotoxic waste that accumulates in the central nervous system when we're awake, which is why it is so crucial for optimal physical and mental health.

Sleep is necessary for proper growth, digestion, healing, and maintenance of all the body's systems. In contrast, insufficient sleep leads to many harmful health consequences.

 

What Is Sleep Deprivation?

 

Sleep deprivation means you aren't meeting your body's need for sleep. That need varies from person to person, but the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke recommends a minimum of seven to nine hours per night for adults.

There are two stages of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. Non-REM sleep happens in three phases, during which the body repairs tissues, builds bone and muscle, and strengthens the immune system. In REM sleep, your brain activity increases. Dreaming occurs during this stage. People cycle through the stages of non-REM and REM sleep several times a night. Your body requires both types.

 

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

 

The need for sleep is individual and changes as you age. Here are some general guidelines from NINDS:

Age	Hour(s)
Infant	16-18 Hours
School-age Children	9.5 Hours
Adults	7-9 Hours

*After age 60, sleep becomes lighter and awakenings are more common.

 

The Stages Of Sleep Deprivation

 

Pulling an all-nighter can make you feel drowsy and irritable. The effects get more serious as time goes on. Here's what happens at the various sleep deprivation stages:

 

At 24 hours

Even the beginning stage of sleep deprivation affects how you perform simple tasks, speech, cognitive tasks like memorizing details, and emotional control. At around 20 to 25 hours of being sleep-deprived, your body and brain's impairment is comparable to that of a 0.10 percent blood alcohol concentration. Research also shows after 24 hours of sleeplessness, your ability to distinguish scents diminishes, your limbs may feel numb, and you may have increased sensitivity to pain.

At 36 hours

Markers of inflammation in the body increase, setting the stage for long-term health consequences, such as heart disease and diabetes.

At 42 hours

More than 42 hours of sleep impairs your operational memory, and it's harder to concentrate because your attention span decreases.

At 48 hours

After 48 hours, your immune system is under siege: data show there's a 37 percent decrease in the number of natural killer (NK) cells. At this stage and later, you may also experience "microsleeps" — falling asleep for just a few seconds, no matter what you are doing.

At 50 to 55 hours

After 50 hours without sleep, studies show that emotional intelligence suffers and you may become less empathetic or positive. You may also become more superstitious, experience intense frustration and aggression, or may feel anxious, depressed, or manic.

At 72 hours

After 72 hours without sleep, concentration and motivation become severely impacted. In lab animals, more than 72 hours of sleep loss changes how corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) gets distributed in the brain. It also elevated corticosteroids, noradrenaline, and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), hormones that indicate higher stress level in the body.

At 90 hours

Some people with greater than 90 hours of no sleep have experienced hallucinations. One small study found that subjects awake this long gained weight during their sleeplessness and had significant decreases in attention span, memory, and grip.

 

What Causes Sleep Deprivation?

 

People can become sleep deprived for many different reasons ranging from short-term to chronic. Chronic sleep deprivation is when you are unable to get a full night's rest over multiple nights. Here are some common reasons that people experience sleep deprivation:

 

Temporary Sleep Disruptors

 

Jet lag, indigestion, or being sick can prevent you from getting a good night's sleep. Normal sleep patterns usually return after the issue passes.

 

Pain

 

According to a National Sleep Foundation survey, people who reported chronic pain in the past week averaged a 42-minute sleep debt while those with acute, or short-term, pain experienced a 14-minute sleep debt.

 

Sleep Disorders

 

Medical conditions including restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, and sleep apnea can reduce the amount of time a person sleeps, leading to chronic sleep deprivation. Addressing the underlying conditions can often lead to longer and better sleep.

 

Insomnia

 

Defined as a condition where a person is unable to fall asleep, stay asleep, or both, insomnia can result in short-term and chronic sleep deprivation. Having an overactive mind that is thinking about too many things can prevent sleep, and insomnia may increase with age. Engaging in meditation, aromatherapy, and other relaxing behaviors before bed can help.

 

Mood Issues

 

A lack of sleep can lower your mood. At least a third of people with insomnia — a common cause of sleep deprivation — have mental health concerns or psychiatric illness such as depression, anxiety disorders, or schizophrenia.

 

Shift Work

 

Working at odd hours, particularly at night, can also contribute to sleep deprivation. "Shift work disorder" occurs when the body has trouble adjusting to a work schedule that takes place during a time when most people sleep, resulting in shorter periods of sleep.

Discounting the Importance of Sleep

A common reason that people are sleep-deprived is that they don't make sleep a priority. According to the 2018 annual survey by the National Sleep Foundation, only 10 percent of Americans prioritize their sleep over other aspects of daily living, including exercise, nutrition, work, social life, and personal interests.

 

Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation

 

Not everyone experiences the same symptoms when sleep-deprived, and you may experience just one or several of these. Some examples of possible sleep deprivation symptoms include being excessively tired, lacking motivation and energy, being unable to wake up after sleeping, and feeling sleepy during your normal waking hours. As the number of hours of sleep-deprivation continues, symptoms get progressively worse.

Symptoms of the early stages of sleep deprivation include:

• Fatigue
• Daytime sleepiness
• Lack of motivation
• Lack of energy
• Trouble waking up
• Inability to concentrate or focus attention
• Forgetfulness
• Clumsiness
• Poor performance at physical tasks
• Reduced alertness and excessive yawning.

Symptoms of more severe and ongoing sleep deprivation include:

• Mental health disturbances
• Increased aggressiveness
• Becoming superstitious
• Severe decline in memory
• Drifting off during normal waking hours
• Feelings of high stress and anxiety

 

Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Health

 

A lack of sleep affects both the body and the brain, which is why it's so important to get a full night's sleep  — and regularly! The effects that sleep deprivation can have on your health include:

 

Depressed Immune System

 

Sleep deprivation affects the body's ability to mount a defense against infections and other illnesses. For example, participants in one study who slept fewer than seven hours a night were three times more likely to catch a cold than those who got eight hours of sleep a night.

 

Weight Gain

 

Sleeplessness disrupts the body's endocrine system, which regulates appetite, among other functions. With sleep deprivation, levels of the hormone ghrelin — which makes you feel hunger — increase. Likewise, leptin — a hormone that makes you feel full — decreases. The result? You eat more food. A study found that sleeping fewer than seven hours per night doubles the risk of obesity. Catching up on your sleep and maintaining a good sleep schedule can help with weight loss.

Sleep loss causes the central nervous system to become overactive, reducing the pancreas' ability to produce insulin, which controls the body's glucose levels. Over a 15-year period, men who slept five hours a night were twice as likely as those who slept seven hours a night to develop diabetes.

 

Heart Disease

 

In one large study, researchers found that women who sleep five or fewer hours a night have a 30 percent greater chance of developing coronary heart disease. Sleep deprivation also raises blood pressure, a major heart disease risk factor.

 

Cancer

 

Men under the age of 65 who slept three to five hours a night had a 55 percent greater risk of premature mortality from prostate cancer than those who got seven hours. Men who got six hours had a 29 percent higher risk of fatal prostate cancer.

 

Premature Death

 

A nine-year study involving almost 7,000 people found that mortality rates from heart disease, cancer, stroke, and all causes combined were lowest for individuals who slept seven or eight hours per night. Sleeping both less or more than this optimal level increased the risk of death. Men sleeping six or fewer hours, or nine or more hours, per night were 1.7 times more likely to die early than men who slept seven or eight hours per night. Women in the same categories were 1.6 times more likely to die prematurely.

 

Poor Brain Health

 

Since sleep clears away neurotoxic waste that accumulates in the central nervous system when we're awake, being sleep deprived decreases your brain's performance, slowing your reaction time and impairing your reasoning skills and memory. It can even make you less creative. Insufficient sleep can also lead to mental health concerns like depression and anxiety, social withdrawal, and increased stress.

 

Natural Remedies for Sleep Deprivation

 

Getting proper sleep is key to experiencing improved health, increased energy and vitality, and a better mood. If you are having trouble getting adequate sleep, try these natural remedies.

 

Valerian

 

Valerian is one of the most time-honored herbal sleep remedies in the world. Though it has a peculiar odor, that pungency comes from the volatile oils and other compounds that lead to its sleep-inducing effects. Among women with sleeping concerns related to menopause, one in three got better sleep after drinking valerian tea. But it is a trusted remedy for people of all ages. 

 

Melatonin

 

Melatonin is a hormone your body releases when light is absent, but you can take it supplementally. Melatonin helps regulate your body's natural sleep-wake cycle, promoting sleep. Melatonin supplements decreased the time it took children with insomnia to fall asleep by more than 15 minutes.  Be careful of taking melatonin long term, however. Extended use may worsen insomnia, rather than help it.

 

Passionflower Tea

 

When people drink a cup of passionflower tea every night reported better sleep quality after a week. It appears to boost levels of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) in the brain, which has a calming effect on the mind.

 

Tart Cherry Juice

 

Tart cherry juice might also be an effective sleep aid. In a study, a small group of insomniacs increased their sleep time by 84 minutes by drinking the juice for two weeks. The reason is that tart cherries are naturally rich in melatonin.

 

Exercise

 

Working out regularly is not only relaxing, but it can also promote longer sleep. When older adults with insomnia 150 minutes a week, it reduced their insomnia symptoms after six months.

 

Relaxation & Meditation

 

Many types of mind-body techniques can improve your sleep patterns. For instance, when people engaged in a practice known as mindfulness-based stress reduction, which includes yoga, meditation, relaxation techniques, and sleep education, they got an average of 43 minutes extra minutes of sleep a night compared with those who just kept a sleep diary.

 

Magnesium

 

Known as the relaxation mineral, magnesium can help you get a good night’s sleep. Whether you suffer from insomnia or want to get deeper sleep, try taking magnesium supplements before bed. When older adults with insomnia took 500 mg per night for eight weeks, it significantly increased their sleep time and sleep efficiency. Not only that, magnesium increased the body’s production of melatonin and decreased cortisol — the stress hormone — naturally.

 

Good Sleep Hygiene

 

Behavioral changes, such as establishing a regular morning rise time, going to bed when sleepy, getting out of bed when you're unable to fall asleep, and avoiding excessive daytime napping, are important elements of achieving excellent sleep health, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The NINDS also suggests avoiding caffeine late in the day and alcoholic beverages at night and creating a relaxing bedtime ritual, such as reading or a taking a warm bath.

Creating a restful sleeping environment may also help you get more. The National Sleep Foundation suggests making the bedroom cool, dark and quiet. Consider infusing it with a relaxing scent like lavender. Experts also recommend only using the bedroom for sleep or sex.

 

Points to Remember

 

Sleep deprivation is extremely common in the U.S. and around the world but has profound consequences on your health and wellbeing. More than just making you feel lousy, insufficient shut-eye can also harm your physical and mental health.

Experts recommend adults get seven to nine hours per night, and children nine and a half. After 24 hours of sleep deprivation, you may experience mood swings, irritability, aggression, and a decrease in working memory and attention span. Only 10 percent of Americans prioritize getting a good night sleep despite its importance.

However, there are plenty of proven strategies that can assist you if you can't sleep. Exercise, relaxation techniques, behavioral changes, and certain supplements can all help you get the sleep you need to thrive.