Sleep deprivation kills faster than food deprivation- need an explanation?

Question

I heard it on the national geographic channel

Answer 1

Sleep deprivation is a common condition that afflicts 47 million American adults, or almost a quarter of the adult population. Symptoms can interfere with memory, energy levels, mental abilities, and emotional mood. A study conducted by the University of Chicago Medical Center in 1999 indicates that the condition drastically affects the body's ability to metabolize glucose, leading to symptoms that mimic early-stage diabetes.

So why do we sleep? This is a question that has baffled scientists for centuries and the answer is, no one is really sure. Some believe that sleep gives the body a chance to recuperate from the day's activities but in reality, the amount of energy saved by sleeping for even eight hours is miniscule - about 50 kCal, the same amount of energy in a piece of toast.

We have to sleep because it is essential to maintaining normal levels of cognitive skills such as speech, memory, innovative and flexible thinking. In other words, sleep plays a significant role in brain development. The brain's frontal cortex relies on sleep to function effectively. Again, insufficient rest adversely affects the frontal cortex's ability to control speech, access memory, and solve problems. The effect on physical energy is also startling: otherwise healthy people quickly show symptoms of age and early diabetes as glucose metabolism falls by up to forty percent. These physical reactions disappear when the test subject is allowed to rest properly.

Exhaustion, fatigue and lack of physical energy are common sleep deprivation symptoms. Exhaustion and fatigue affect our emotional moods, causing pessimism, sadness, stress and anger. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has suggested that social problems such as road rage may be caused, in part, by a national epidemic of sleepiness.

Answer 2

well it is true.
because our body needs rest. we may not move an inch of muscle but our brain is still working hard. when we sleep, it rests (note, it does not sleep itself, just slows down). Starvation kills, but sleep deprivation kills faster. Most people, it's estimated, could last almost a month without food, but would die after only 10 days without sleep because their brain will dies instead of them and when the brain is dead, you are dead, not talking about going into coma which is commonly referred as 'brain-dead'

so, we can live longer by starvation than sleep deprivation because our body will live on its stored fat....

hope it cleared up.
i watch national Geographic channel all the time ;)

Answer 3

Here is an interesting article about death by lack of sleep

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=133

According to it, it is presumed that death will follow if a person goes without sleep for more than 11 or 12 days. You can easily go 12 days without food and live. You won't be too happy, in fact you will suffer a lot, but you will live.

Of course, you will die faster from a lack of water than a lack of food or sleep.

But, a lack of oxygen trumps all of those.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Probably because sleeping is when your body 'fixes and heals' itself through night... developing and making stronger our immune system... so if you're sleep deprived you probably can't fight things off as well and the body has no time to repair it's natural defence system... but hey I'm no expert... I'm just reflecting on what I know already..

xx

Answer 6

Because the body can hold natural stores of resources for time swithout food.This can not be done with sleep.When you are sleep deprived the message sent betwwen the brain and the rest of the body get muddled .The longer this continues the harder it is for the brain to send a mesage such as keep moving your to cold or breathe

Answer 7

i became into having alot of stress till now snoozing and could desire to not nod off. Had many many sleepless nights. i became into merely fidgeting with this methodology one afternoon and wanted to hearken to the �potential Nap� song. next concern I knew i became into waking up! Fell suitable asleep with out attempting. After making use of the �Fall Asleep� song, i could desire to nod off suitable away. yet i did not understand that I should not be making use of that one all night. Switched to finished night and have been making use of it ever in view that. i will bypass to sleep conveniently now. I merely lay and hear the sounds and next concern i be attentive to i'm waking up from a extreme high quality sleep. i don't be afflicted by loss of sleep anymore. I save an IPod with earbuds next to my mattress and take it continually whilst traveling. The earbuds help block out ambient noise and the sleep tracks save me snoozing sound :) Reboot your ideas & sleep soundly lower back?