how would sleeping only a few hours a night affect someone in the long term?

Answer 1

Sleep is probably best described as the loss of awareness of what is happening around us. The brain itself never sleeps and still continues to function, although the brainwave rhythms are altered and gradually slow as we approach the deeper stages of sleep.

Sleep deprivation exists when we are not getting the sleep we need. This varies from person to person, the average adult requires six to nine hours per night, but some do well on much less. Kids and teenagers require more sleep than adults.

If we feel energetic during the day and do not experience daytime sleepiness, then we are probably receiving adequate sleep.

Public awareness of fitness and nutrition has grown over the past few years but unfortunately little is known about the very important subject of sleep disorders. They are not included in general medical training either so the lack of knowledge is perpetuated.

If drowsiness were the sole disadvantage of sleep deprivation, it would not be such a serious condition. Unfortunately the consequences are many and some of them quite worrying. There are both behavioral and physical symptoms.

Why do we suffer with sleep deprivation? Sometimes its because we're so busy that we just don't have sufficient time to get the rest we need. Or maybe its because we have insomnia or one of the other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome. Or we may be a shift worker who is forced to sleep during the day and our sleep is not restful. Whatever the reason is, if we don't have adequate sleep we create a "sleep debt" which leads to some or all of the symptoms shown below.

These range from the inconvenient to the downright dangerous so if you can see yourself in the symptoms below, its worth trying to establish what is causing your sleep deprivation we can then work out and how to address it.

Stress and anxiety

This can be a vicious cycle as while stress can actually cause our lack of sleep, it is also a result of it. Fortunately it can be dealt with using the right procedures. We'll look at the possibilities and find out what's causing it and the correct solution for you.

Anger, irritability and depression.

These are all stress related and they can cause relationship and social problems. The National Sleep Foundation has said that anger due to sleep deprivation may be one of the contributing factors to road rage. Depression, while remaining a complex condition may be described as anger turned inwards. One answer to these problems may simply be more or better sleep.


Lack of focus and difficulty in concentrating.

The brain looses function as a result of sleep deprivation. Students in particular fit into this category as learning requires intense concentration. A study has found that from the age of puberty, the need for sleep increases until adulthood.
Short term memory loss
Memory is affected by lack of sleep, this is also a problem for those trying to study and for those learning new job skills.

Impaired ability to drive a motor vehicle.

Two reasons for this - one is because concentration is affected, the second because the danger of falling asleep at the wheel is high. The same goes for anyone who is in charge of machinery in the workplace. Sleep deprivation can also cause blurring of peripheral vision. Altogether quite a deadly cocktail. The danger has been assessed as being close to that of someone who is affected by alcohol!

Suppression of the immune system.

This one is a worry as it leaves us vulnerable to every infection that happens to be around at the time. People who are sleep deprived get more colds and flu than those that are not. Lack of sleep can make you sick!

Probably enough reasons there to convince us to take action to change our sleeping habits! If lack of time is keeping us up late, something else may have to be sacrificed to make sure we get the rest we need. If a sleep disorder is making your life a misery, don't despair! There is always something we can do and knowledge on the subject is improving all the time.

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Answer 2

I have to agree with bavwill's explanation. It can cause a great deal of stress and irritation. Eventually you will desend into anger and depression. You will begin to lose touch with reality and it can alter your personality. Your general health will decline, you will get sick much easier and not be able to kick it off. You run the risk of losing your job, your health, even your life. Many things could happen as your reflexes slow down and your thought processes begin to diminish. All in all, they have come to the conclusion that without sleep you can't survive. And while it is different for every person - some claim to only need 4 or 5. This may be possible - but the average is 8 hours a night and most seem to do well on that amount. Younger children, infants and toddlers need more, up to 12 hours a night to be at their best. So, I would say that you can figure out for yourself what works for your, but forcing yourself to go without sleep is dangerous.

Answer 3

I know we are advised to have 8 hours sleep a night, but I think that is the ideal & not the norm. I work full time & have between 5 1/2 & 6 hours a night. Occasionally I will make an effort to have more sleep & try to go to bed the same day that I get up. I wouldn't worry too much about how many hours sleep you have, as long as you are able to cope with the following day, then you are obviously having enough.

Answer 4

Depression, mood swings and loss of intellect (you become stupid). Your health will decline slowly, and you may suffer hypertension. Your digestive system will not work properly, and you immune system runs down to the point that you catch every bug going. Your skin will go pale, as your blood iron level drops, your eyesight will diminsh and your libido will falter. you may notice other psychological problems ranging from sexaul dysfunction through to halusinations and paranoia. I had a year of councelling towards the middle of this employemnt... It helped but was ultimatley wasted as I could not leave the job for a fear of unemployment that was almost phobic.

All this, because I worked an alternating three weekly shift pattern on the Railway for 12 years... and was doing it on about 5 or six hours sleep in every 24. It was enough to stay alive, and feel ok... the bad effects are gradual, and I did not notice them creeping up on me. I have ended up with sleep apnea too, as a result, and that has caused long term problems, and severe snoring leading to the removal of my tonsils at age 35, and more surgery to come as I have a sweling in my throat.

Due to some of the psychological problems, and that I was not in a fair state of mind for 18 months after reisgning from the railway,I behaved strangely and I made some bad decisions that have left me as a single father, and left me in very bad debt.

Lack of sleep.... Not for the faint herated.

Answer 5

U will be Game Over! Tired and Exhausted .
You have to sleep well , 8hrs a day minimum .
Sleep builds immunity and it also helps us reach an equilibrium .
In the long run , u r smartness IQ etc will reduce if u dont give proper rest to yourself .
Sleep well , consult sleep therapist if the need be
Enjoy

Answer 6

The Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis [he who married JFK's widow] claimed to get by on only 4 hours sleep per day. He considered sleep a waste of time and prevented him from earning even more money........a genuine workaholic.
It certainly didn't do him any harm.

Answer 7

Margaret Thatcher claimed to only sleep 4 hours a night, and she's still with us.

Answer 8

quality of r.e.m is what defines good sleep, you usually need to achieve two r.e.ms per night. Each r.e.m takes about 2-5 hours to achieve, depeding on the person so if the person can achieve r.e.m within two hours it might just be able to get by on 4 hours sleep.

Answer 9

Not a good idea. If you are not getting REM sleep, you run the risk of a myriad of ills owing to the weakening of the immune system, confusion, inability to concentrate.. Please check in with your doctor. You may need to have a sleep study done.

Answer 10

younger bro did this... he owned a bakery. 10pm-2am night deliveries. 6am -10am morning deliveries, 10.15am, 6pm day job.

the danger is falling asleep behind the wheel.

you get so tired, you go onto autopilot, gojng thru the motions... you close your eyes for longer than it takes to blink, and youre asleep...

or, youre asleep and wake up in a dead sweat because you think youre on the M1 doing 80, not asleep in bed.. and thats really scary...

hes done it for 18 months... and it shows...