“I think I need more sleep” or “I have barely slept all night” are common exclamations we make while stifling the frequent yawns during the day.
Sleep is a primal need, like food and water, without which daily functioning becomes difficult. “Sleep deprivation is a problem as it compounds stress which just makes the person extremely miserable,” Dr Ramesh Ranganathan, a Bengaluru-based consultant neurosurgeon and spine surgeon, tells Happiest Health.
While sleep is essential for the body, the brain requires it more to stay healthy, says research. Studies have shown that sleep plays a vital role in memory and learning as newly obtained information is consolidated in the brain while we sleep. “Our brain functions, cognition and the efficiency with which we perform tasks get affected when we don’t get enough sleep,” says Dr Ranganathan.
A lack of sleep over a short period shows up as an inability to focus, irritability, and reliance on other rewards to work, which could exacerbate addictive behaviour. Prolonged periods of sleep deprivation become detrimental and could lead to neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.
This infographic highlights the various parts of the brain that is affected due to sleep deprivation.
Read more: How sleep deprivation impacts you
Not sleeping enough can make you prone to heart issues, diabetes and even dampen your immunity
Read more: The brain’s effect on the circadian rhythm
A master clock – the suprachiasmatic nucleus regulates our biological clock that affects our sleep wake cycle. Through the regulation of melatonin, it induces sleepiness, body temperature and body function
