C-Force: We're Beyond Tired; We're Sleep Deprived

At some point in your life, you may have been facing a big and perplexing decision, and someone might have given you the advice to "sleep on it." This adage is derived from an age-old bit of sound advice. Making difficult decisions is generally easier if we are well rested and can possibly see the options more clearly. According to writingexplained.org, this exact guidance has been handed down in various settings and circumstance since the 1500s -- maybe even earlier.

We now know that there is scientific evidence supporting this process. According to writingexplained.org, studies show that the unconscious mind could even be better at "synthesizing information" than the conscious mind. "Someone who is fatigued" is inclined to make more mistakes than "someone who is alert and wide awake."

But here's where, in today's world, these assumptions start to break down. As reported by the Center for Advancing Health, sleep deprivation, or not getting enough sleep each night, has become all too common.

As reported by the Center for Advancing Health, today, 50 million to 70 million Americans have some type of sleep disorder. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 5 men have insomnia. Also hard hit are those to whom we turn to care for us. The insomnia rate among health care workers is said to have increased to 64% from 44.5% during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Sufficient, healthy sleep duration is a vital part of our physical and mental well-being," writes CFAH founder Nina Julia. "It's a biological necessity that also reduces injury and accident risks. However, not all of us enjoy sufficient sleep."

A recent report by Livestrong.com's Jaime Osnato points out that "many people wear lack of sleep like a badge of honor, taking pride in pulling an all-nighter or surviving on five hours a night. But skipping sleep shouldn't be valued as a sign of strength or productivity. Quality sleep is crucial for overall health and well-being. Not getting enough sleep can have harmful effects. ... [W]hile certain symptoms of sleep deprivation -- like feeling tired during the day -- are obvious, others are harder to notice."

Emerson Wickwire is a professor and section head of sleep medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He tells Livestrong.com there are four signs of possible harmful sleep deprivation effects that people must be aware of. One of them is cognitive impairment. "Decades of clinical, experimental and epidemiologic evidence demonstrates that sleep is essential for cognitive function," Wickwire says. "Not getting enough sleep, or quality sleep, worsens brain function, including our ability to remember, concentrate and make good decisions."

"More recent data even suggests that chronic sleep deprivation increases the risk for cognitive decline as we age, including Alzheimer's disease," Wickwire adds.

According to an April 2021 study in Nature Communications, middle-aged people (those in their 50s and 60s) who slept six hours or less per night had a 30% higher risk of developing dementia later in life compared to those who slept a normal seven hours each night.

Another indicator is weight gain. "If you're putting on pounds without explanation, lack of sleep may be to blame," reports Osnato. According to Wickwire, "With as little as one night of partial sleep deprivation, we feel more hungry, less full and [have] more cravings for calorie-dense foods that are high in sugars and fats." It makes one less likely to be physically active during the day. As reported in a September 2019 study in the Journal of Lipid Research, sleep deprivation can affect how your body stores fat from food.

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