Don’t you wish we could go without sleeping? We could accomplish much more in our days. We spend one third of our lifetime sleeping. Imagine that! But why do we sleep?

Common sense would tell us that we sleep to recuperate our energy from a day’s work. But sleeping is a far more complex process than we think. Scientists have conducted numerous studies to answer that question.

NEED TO SLEEP

Sleeping has physiological and psychological purposes. Physiologically, sleeping helps us make brain connections, helps the immune system and helps us grow. This is why babies and children tend to sleep many hours, while adults tend to sleep less. Psychologically, sleep helps us make neurological connections and consolidate memories.

Without sleep we experience a number of physical and mental problems. We can develop depression, experience slow reaction times, slurred speech and become irritable. Sleeplessness can also affect our hormonal levels. Two hormones affected are leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is associated with the satiated feeling or fullness after eating. Ghrelin is associated with appetite stimulation. It’s no wonder people with sleeping disorders may experience weight changes.

NOT SLEEPING AROUND

The most famous record of sleep deprivation attempt was by Randy Gardner. In 1963, Randy Gardner, a high school student, self imposed this task for a science fair competition. He stayed awake 11 days. (That’s right - 264 hours without shut-eye). This feat became one of the most important sleep studies of our time. As of today, the Guinness world record is 449 hours.

What we know about sleep deprivation from these brave individuals is that there are numerous short and long-term complications. These individuals felt dizzy, had memory problems and experienced hallucinations. Studies of long term sleep deprivation in rats have resulted in death.

Our bodies can handle extreme conditions and it is built to survive. Sleep is one of those important processes that we are quick to sacrifice. Whether you are a “morning person” or a “night-owl” sleep is an important part of life (At least one third of it). So get enough sleep and enjoy it!

What about you? What are the effect that you experience when you do not sleep?

Join the conversation!