after stumbling across a TED talk on the effects of sleep deprivation, I felt like this topic was damn relevant to have a chat about.
sleep is something I never quite get enough of. it's rare for me to wake up feeling well-rested, without having slept until midday at minimum. literally living with 200 other students in a hall, I've found that lack of sleep is almost considered a bragging right - with a degree of respect gained for having downed 10 energy drinks and worked through the night. being a design (and commerce) student, time-consuming projects have meant that I've had my fair share of late nights - sometimes finishing assignments at 4am and waking up again at 7 for a lecture. while this is often due to perfectionism and poor time-management (university is a learning curve that's for sure) I know I can say that sleep deprivation affects almost every other teenager/young adult I know. but little did I know, it takes such a huge toll on our long-term wellbeing.
I think we all realise that, without enough sleep, we're a bit less ourselves. we're more grumpy, lethargic and have a shorter attention span. but in reality, there's so much more going on internally. neuroscience has proved that certain areas of your brain are actually more active during sleep than wakefulness, which definitely highlights it's significance. by depriving yourself of enough sleep (roughly 8-10 hours a night, too much sleep is also not good long-term), you're putting yourself at a significantly higher risk of issues like mental health problems and weight gain. sleep loss causes the release of hunger hormones and, in the long-term, hugely increases the likelihood of obesity - believe it or not. tired people are also more stressed, which leads to lower immunity. shift workers whose schedules are opposite to their biological body clocks (eg. working at night and sleeping during the day) have much higher risks of cancer. stimulants like coffee, cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs are a way to mask this constant sleepiness we feel. long-term abuse of these drugs often then leads to addictions, and it's all a bit of a downhill spiral from there. possibly the most dangerous side effect of fatigue is micro sleeps, in which your body basically loses consciousness for 5-10 seconds, and are pretty much uncontrollable. if this were to happen while driving, for example, you could guess the consequences. basically what I'm trying to get at, is that sleep deprivation is a lot more than just a mildly impaired brain.
sleep is a key factor in a productive, happy, motivated and inspired life. it's the single most important behavioural experience for humans, and we literally spend decades of our lives asleep (36% of it). even though it's tempting to work harder, or watch endless hours of netflix until the sun rises, adequate sleep ensures your body can repair, restore and replenish itself for the next day. it allows you to get shit done, make important decisions, be more creative and helps with mental wellbeing.
if you know you regularly don't get enough sleep, that's okay - you're one in literally millions of us. but whether you take action by sticking to a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, or getting off your phone and laptop an hour before sleep, every little change has its own benefits. do it for yourself, make your wellbeing a priority. sleep isn't for the weak, it's something you gotta do to survive in this crazy hectic world.
so on that note, goodnight
link to Russell Foster's TED talk - 'why do we sleep?'
https://www.ted.com/talks/russell_foster_why_do_we_sleep?referrer=playlist-talks_to_inspire_you_to_go_to#t-31207
Comments
Post a Comment