S O N I A W I B I S O N O

SLEEP LESS, DIE EARLY5 REASONS WHY SLEEP LOSS CAN SHORTEN YOUR LIFE

Not getting enough sleep each night

can lead to serious health risks.

It can also have long lasting,

possibly permanent,

negative impact on your body and

mind.

5 REASONS WHY SLEEP LOSS CAN SHORTEN YOUR LIFE

C O M P I L E D F R O M D I F F E R E N T S O U RC E S ,A L L B A S E D O N S C I E N T I F I C R E S E A RC H E S

SLEEP LOSS DECREASESIMMUNITY

REASON #1

#1: DECREASES IMMUNITY

People who are sleep

deprived have poor

antibody response to

flu vaccine—less

than 50%—compared

to people with

enough sleep.

Walker, M. P. Sleep Deprivation I: Immune Function & Metabolism [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bspace.berkeley.edu

People who are sleep

deprived have 73%

lower natural killer cells

activity, which plays a

major role in fighting

tumors, cancer, and

virus infected cells.A natural killer cell

#1: DECREASES IMMUNITY

Walker, M. P. Sleep Deprivation I: Immune Function & Metabolism [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bspace.berkeley.edu

A small natural killer cell is attacking a large cancer cell (left) and a tumor cell (right)

#1: DECREASES IMMUNITY

http://www.conkwest.com/natural-killer-cells

SLEEP LOSS INCREASESRISK OF DIABETES

REASON #2

#2: INCREASES RISK OF DIABETES

Sleep loss can make

your body become

more insulin-

resistant.

What that means is

normal levels of

insulin do not trigger

glucose absorption.

Walker, M. P. Sleep Deprivation I: Immune Function & Metabolism [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bspace.berkeley.edu

#2: INCREASES RISK OF DIABETES

As a result, pancreas releases even more insulin,

which will result in a drop in blood sugar.

Insulin-resistance can progress to type-II diabetes,

which can reduce your life expectancy by up to 10

years.

Walker, M. P. Sleep Deprivation I: Immune Function & Metabolism [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bspace.berkeley.edu

SLEEP LOSS INCREASESRISK OF OBESITY

REASON #3

#3: INCREASES RISK OF OBESITY

Lack of sleep can cause an imbalance between the

two hormones of hunger. Sleep loss results in lower

leptin (“do not eat” hormone) and higher ghrelin

(“eat” hormone).

Walker, M. P. Sleep Deprivation I: Immune Function & Metabolism [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bspace.berkeley.edu

#3: INCREASES RISK OF OBESITY

Consequently, you will feel

hungry all the time and

usually crave foods high in

carbs in particular.

Even after eating, you might

still feel unsatisfied. This

can ultimately lead to

obesity.

Note: obese people live 3-12 years

less than normal-weight people. Walker, M. P. Sleep Deprivation I: Immune Function & Metabolism [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bspace.berkeley.edu

SLEEP LOSS INCREASESRISK OF STROKE

REASON #4

#4: INCREASES RISK OF STROKE

Studies show that if you

get less than six hours of

sleep per night, you have a

48% greater chance of

developing/dying from

heart disease and 15%

greater chance of

developing/dying from

stroke.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/09/sleep-medical-research

Poor sleep increases the production of stress

hormones and drives up blood pressure, a major

risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.

#4: INCREASES RISK OF STROKE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_deprivation

SLEEP LOSS INCREASESPROBABILITY OF ACCIDENTS

REASON #5

Sleep deprivation was cited as a significant factor

in these catastrophes:

• Three Mile Island’s partial nuclear meltdown in

March 1979

• Nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl in April 1986

• Exxon Valdez oil spill in March 1989

#5: INCREASESPROBABILITY OF ACCIDENTS

http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences/sleep-performance-and-public-safety

#5: INCREASESPROBABILITY OF ACCIDENTS

The National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration

conservatively estimates that

100,000 police-reported

crashes are the direct result

of driver fatigue each year.

It takes only 4 seconds of

attention lapse to result in a

potentially fatal crash.

http://drowsydriving.org/about/facts-and-stats/Walker, M. P. Sleep Deprivation III: Brain Consequences [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bspace.berkeley.edu

Now that you understand

how less sleep can cause early death,

you might want to consider

shutting down your computer

and get some sleep.

Disclaimer: The author cannot be held responsible for problems

caused by your getting caught sleeping during working hours.