{"id":52730,"date":"2017-08-29T12:26:12","date_gmt":"2017-08-29T19:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/?p=52730"},"modified":"2017-08-29T12:26:12","modified_gmt":"2017-08-29T19:26:12","slug":"can-staying-awake-long-really-kill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2017\/08\/can-staying-awake-long-really-kill\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Staying Awake Too Long Really Kill You?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Valerie C asks: Can staying awake too long really kill you?<\/div>\n

\"sleepless-woman\"<\/a>Every college student knows the eye-stinging pain of a caffeine-induced all-nighter.\u00a0 It\u2019s been well documented that prolonged sleep deprivation will lead to lower cognitive and motor function, as well as impaired memory; it might even give you the tired-giggles.\u00a0 No one has ever definitively shown why<\/em> sleep is necessary for our survival, and no person has ever had sleep deprivation listed as their cause of death.\u00a0 As prominent sleep researcher John Allan Hobson states \u201cThe only known function of sleep is to cure sleepiness\u201d.\u00a0 So, can sleep really kill you?<\/p>\n

Mouse studies have consistently shown that continued lack of sleep will lead to a 100% chance of death in relatively short order.\u00a0 To wit, every single mouse that has been subjected to total sleep deprivation has died within 2-3 weeks of the experiment’s start. For obvious reasons, the same studies have not been performed on humans. But given the many animal studies showing this very thing, and countless sleep deprivation studies with humans demonstrating the myriad of health problems associated with a lack of sleep, the general consensus is that a complete lack of sleep for too long will certainly lead to your early demise. However, for reasons that will become clear shortly, “sleep deprivation” isn’t likely to end up being what’s listed as the cause of death.<\/p>\n

(Perhaps this would be a good time to recommend for those who have trouble sleeping or are otherwise wanting to optimize sleep quality Sleep Smarter<\/a><\/em>, by Shawn Stevenson- a book not without issues, but on the whole a decent quick-read primer on optimizing sleep- or\u00a0Sleep Soundly Every Night, Feel Fantastic Every Day: A Doctor’s Guide to Solving Your Sleep Problems,<\/em><\/a> by Dr. Robert Rosenberg.)<\/p>\n

So how does sleep deprivation kill you?\u00a0 To answer that, let\u2019s take a closer look at what makes us want to sleep, and what chronic sleep deprivation does to your health.<\/p>\n

Maintaining homeostasis is the term used to describe almost every reaction your body is trying to accomplish.\u00a0 Keeping all its molecules such as proteins, fats, electrolytes, hormones, and even its pH within a specific range.\u00a0 For example, the body’s normal pH range is 7.35-7.45.\u00a0 Too far out of this range and your cells begin to die. (It’s not surprise then that eating things that are more or less “acidic” doesn’t actually affect your blood pH levels in any meaningful way, contrary to popular belief<\/a>.\u00a0 Your body keeps a tight lock on this using various mechanisms out of necessity.)\u00a0 The same is true of almost every one of the other molecules within the body.<\/p>\n

One of the brain structures responsible for maintaining homeostasis via hormone release is your hypothalamus.\u00a0 The hypothalamus controls things like body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, emotions, growth, salt and water balance, weight and appetite, and the circadian rhythm involved with sleep.<\/p>\n

There are quite a few components working together that make you want to sleep and wake up.\u00a0 They normally revolve around 24-hour cycles known as circadian rhythms.<\/p>\n

One factor that makes you want to sleep is the presence of Adenosine (a purine nucleoside).\u00a0 This compound inhibits many of the processes involved with wakefulness, specifically inhibiting neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, acetylcholine and serotonin. Adenosine levels will continue to rise in the brain while you\u2019re awake.\u00a0 They reach their peak in the evening, and while sleeping your body will break it down.<\/p>\n

The body also reacts to cycles of light and dark to regulate sleep. \u00a0When light enters your eyes, a nerve pathway between your retina and the hypothalamus gets stimulated.\u00a0 An area of your hypothalamus called your suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) signals countless other parts of your body to begin releasing hormones controlling the desires to be awake or feel sleepy.<\/p>\n

When darkness ensues, the SCN signals your pineal gland to release a hormone called Melatonin. \u00a0Melatonin will make you feel less alert and sleepier.\u00a0 Melatonin levels stay elevated for around 12 hours, and by 9am, assuming a natural light\/dark cycle, are barely detectable in your bloodstream.\u00a0 Interestingly, exposure to certain artificial light can affect melatonin levels significantly.<\/p>\n

For example, if you\u2019re reading this at night, the light from the computer screen can reduce melatonin levels and you feel less sleepy. \u00a0This artificial light problem is why countless medical professionals warn against the effects of too much screen-time (cell phones, computers, and television). Failure to heed their warnings may result in insomnia and subsequent health issues which we’ll get into momentarily.<\/p>\n

When morning comes, the SCN will then signal hormones like cortisol to be released.\u00a0 Cortisol is a stimulating hormone that naturally prepares your body to wake up. It affects everything from central nervous system activation, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and immune responses.<\/p>\n

The rhythm of this sleep\/wake clock varies with age. Young children tend to sleep more in the early evening, older adults tend to go to bed and wake up earlier. Teenagers have melatonin released later at night, thus they tend to stay wake, and sleep in, later.\u00a0 Newborns don\u2019t have the cortisol circadian rhythm and its patterns won\u2019t develop until 2 weeks- 9 months of age.\u00a0 As every parent knows, their child sleeping through the night is a gift they pray for daily! The lucky ones get theirs answered sooner rather than later<\/p>\n

Now that we know a little bit about how our bodies control sleep.\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at the problems a lack of it can cause.<\/p>\n

A good demonstration of how lack of sleep can kill you can be observed in the progressive, neurodegenerative disease called Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI)<\/a>.\u00a0 FFI is known as a prion disease.\u00a0 Prions being misshapen proteins that can accumulate in the brain and cause the death of neurons.\u00a0 Specifically, FFI is caused by a mutation of condon 178 on the prion protein gene (PrP).<\/p>\n

FFI mainly affects the thalamus.\u00a0 Over time, the death of the neurons associated with the thalamus cause all the symptoms of FFI.\u00a0 Since the hypothalamus and the aformentioned suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) are affected, sleep\/wake cycles are logically influenced as well.<\/p>\n

The first symptoms of FFI tend to begin between the ages of 32-62.\u00a0 Usually beginning with insomnia, progressing to weight loss, lack of appetite, body temperature problems (both too high and too low), panic attacks, and phobias.\u00a0 Those symptoms progress to muscle wasting, uncoordinated movements, forgetfulness that leads to rapidly progressive dementia and unconsciousness.\u00a0 While insomnia isn\u2019t always the first symptom, total inability to sleep is common towards the end.\u00a0 Death will typically happen 12-18 months after the first symptoms.<\/p>\n

Most FFI cases are inherited.\u00a0 If you have it, there\u2019s a 50% chance you\u2019ll pass it to your children.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be too concerned about getting it, however, as it\u2019s extremely rare.\u00a0 In fact, the mutated gene responsible has only been found in about 40 families worldwide. As of 2016, only 24 cases of sporadic FFI (not inherited) have ever been diagnosed.<\/p>\n

With FFI being extremely rare, what about the rest of us who maybe only have chronic bad sleep instead of eventual complete inability to do so?<\/p>\n

Countless bodily systems affect, and are effected by, the hormones released by the hypothalamus and the SCN.\u00a0 It would take a book-length article and more medical jargon than any of you probably want to read to touch on the specifics of each reaction.\u00a0 Given this, I\u2019ll simply go on to mention the results that a lack of sleep can have on your health.<\/p>\n

For the average person, getting only 6 hours of sleep per night for 1 week has been shown to change 711 of your genes.\u00a0 Those changes could be at the core of why sleep deprivation is so damaging.<\/p>\n

Cardiovascularly, sleep deprivation has been associated with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis (too much cholesterol in your arteries), heart failure and heart attack.\u00a0 A 2011 study from Warwick Medical School found that less than 6 hours of sleep per night gives you a 48% greater chance of developing or dying from heart disease.\u00a0 If heart problems don\u2019t worry you, your risk of stroke will quadruple if you\u2019re overweight and get less than 6 hours of sleep per night, compared to people who get 7-8 hours of sleep and are of healthy weight.<\/p>\n

Why bring weight into it?<\/p>\n

After just 1 night of interrupted sleep, people tend to eat more and choose high-calorie, high-carb foods, the culprit being those abnormal hormones again.\u00a0 When you don\u2019t get enough sleep, your body releases more of the hormone that makes you feel hungry (ghrelin), and releases less of the hormone that makes you feel full (leptin)<\/p>\n

Sleep deprivation also results in higher blood sugar levels, increasing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This is because a lack of zzz\u2019s decreases your insulin sensitivity- basically, you\u2019re eating more, and the body\u2019s ability to use those sugars goes down because it won\u2019t respond to the insulin that\u2019s released. Not metabolizing glucose properly leads to carbohydrate cravings, furthering the problem.<\/p>\n

If heart attacks, obesity, strokes, and diabetes aren’t bad enough potential byproducts of lack of sleep, how about mental health problems?<\/p>\n

A 2006 study performed by Dr.\u2019s Robert Stickgold and Matthew P Walker found that when sleep deprived you form twice as many memories of negative events as you do positive events.\u00a0 Further studies by Matthew Walker in 2007 showed that sleep deprived subjects were unable to put emotional experiences into context and produce an appropriate response. These results confirm countless other studies showing poor sleep habits give you a much higher risk of developing depression.<\/p>\n

Overall brain health is also affected by a lack of sleep. The body normally gets rid of waste by the lymphatic system.\u00a0 In a nutshell, what is being called the glymphatic system clears the brain of waste products that increase when you\u2019re awake.<\/p>\n

Brain cells actually reduce in size while sleeping, allowing for cerebrospinal fluid to better flow between neurons, eliminating more waste.\u00a0 Studies on the subject show beta-amyloids (plaques found between neurons in Alzheimer\u2019s disease) are eliminated twice as fast while sleeping then when awake.<\/p>\n

Along with clearing out waste, your brain’s ability to work in general is also diminished when you avoid shut-eye.\u00a0 People who drive after being awake for only 17-19 hours have been shown to have the same amount of impaired coordination, judgement and reaction times as people with blood alcohol levels of .05%- almost as high as the .08% most states in the U.S. need to convict you of a DUI!<\/p>\n

Countless studies have shown immune system problems associated with poor sleep habits.\u00a0 For example, you\u2019re 3 times more likely to develop a cold when you get fewer than 7 hours of sleep per night. \u00a0One theory revolves around the production of certain types of immune system cells called undifferentiated na\u00efve T cells, and signaling proteins called Cytokines. When you\u2019re sleeping, their production peaks. Go without sleep and you\u2019ll have less of them, and your immune system has a problem forming its memory; the parts that recognize an invader, attack and kill it.<\/p>\n

Increased risk of cancers are also associated with reduced sleep.\u00a0 Those who get less than 6 hours of sleep can expect a 50% increase in the incidence of colorectal adenomas, and sleep apnea will increase your risk of getting cancer of any kind.<\/p>\n

If health problems in just about every system of your body are making you somewhat concerned about your sleep habits, rest assured (pun intended)- eliminating the risk is as simple as consistently getting a good night\u2019s rest. (Again, if you’re having trouble with that, take two Sleep Smarter<\/a><\/em> and Sleep Soundly Every Night<\/em><\/a> and call me in the morning.)<\/p>\n

To emphasize the point- yes, a lack of sleep will kill you. In the short term, purposefully staying awake for more than a couple weeks in a row will hasten your demise rather quickly.\u00a0 In the long term, chronically avoiding good sleep will kill you in countless other ways later down the road.<\/p>\n

Those more critical of semantics might argue that it\u2019s not the sleep deprivation that kills you, but rather the reactions by the body to the deprivation. In the end, does it matter? Either way, bad sleep habits will undoubtedly prevent the body from being able to maintain homeostasis in many essential functions, helping to prove workaholics right- they\u2019ll sleep when they\u2019re dead.<\/p>\n

If you liked this article, you might also enjoy our new popular podcast, The BrainFood Show (iTunes<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, Google Play Music<\/a>, Feed<\/a>), as well as:<\/p>\n