Deadly Sleep Deprivation

• Increased risk of accidents and injuries: When you’re sleep deprived, your reaction time slows, judgment weakens, and focus wanes. This makes you more likely to be involved in accidents while driving, operating machinery, or even just walking around.
• Long-term health consequences: Chronic sleep deprivation can increase your risk of developing serious health problems like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even some cancers.
• Rare diseases: In extremely rare cases, a condition called fatal insomnia can cause progressive inability to sleep, eventually leading to death. However, this is a very specific disease, not the result of typical sleep deprivation.

Here’s a breakdown of how sleep deprivation affects you over time:

• Short-term (up to 24 hours): You might experience fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and headaches.
• Mid-term (24-72 hours): Symptoms worsen, with possible hallucinations, microsleeps (brief moments of sleep you might not even notice), and impaired judgment.
• Long-term (chronic): The health risks mentioned above become more prominent.

If you’re concerned about sleep deprivation or have trouble sleeping, it’s important to talk to your doctor. They can help you identify any underlying causes and recommend strategies for getting a better night’s sleep.