This week one of my goals will be to get at least 5 hours of sleep each night. Last week I did 4 and though that may work well for Donald Trump, my mental acquity was somewhat diminished. It is tempting, now that my physical energy is at an all-time high, to want to stay up late and squeeze more into each day but it seems that it is my brain that pays the price.
The temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex is associated with the processing of language. During verbal learning tests on subjects who are fully rested functional magnetic resonance imaging scans show that this area of the brain is very active. However, in sleep deprived subjects there is no activity within this region (3), (4), (5). The effects of this inactivity can be observed by the slurred speech in subjects who have gone for prolonged periods with no sleep (6).
via The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Brain and Behavior | Serendip’s Exchange.
In other words, a lack of sleep causes communication malfunctions. Sometimes I would have trouble getting my words out when I was talking to people and would have to start my sentences over.
The ability of the body to metabolize sugar declines, turning sugar into fat.
via The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Brain and Behavior | Serendip’s Exchange.
Well, this may explain my recent weight gain!
One study stated that people who sleep less than four hours per night are three times more likely to die within the next six years (11). Although the longest a human has remained awake was eleven days rats that are continually deprived of sleep die within two to five weeks, generally due to their severely weakened immune system (10), (11), (12).
via The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Brain and Behavior | Serendip’s Exchange.
Whoops! Okay, time for me to go to bed!!
