And if you make it a habit, not sleeping enough can have severe consequences on your health.
Sleep, along with diet and exercise, constitutes the very foundation of good health.
Theyre so interconnected that each of them needs to be a priority, she adds.
During sleep, the body secretes hormones that help control appetite, metabolism, and glucose processing.
Poor sleep can lead to an increase in the bodys production of cortisol, also known as thestress hormone.
In addition, skimping on sleep seems to throw other hormones out of whack.
It could also throw off your internal body clock and possibly lead toinsomniaon Sunday night.
Sticking to a consistentsleep scheduleis the best way to regulate the bodys clock.
Heres what happens to the body when you miss out on shut-eye.
(For reference, in most states, the alcohol limit to legally drive is 0.08 percent.)
That level of cognitive impairment could be enough to spell danger, depending on what youre doing.
During a typical healthy night of sleep, blood pressure drops by around 10 to 20 percent.
Additionally, hormones are affected which means your emotions can be all over the place.
Everything going on at 24 hours is going to be worse at 36 hours.
Cognitive impairment gets much more severe as well.
Some people may even encounter hallucinations seeing or hearing things that arent really there.
Some people feel depressed, and some might become euphoric, Dr. Al-Sharif adds.
Research suggests that the immune system takes a hit, too.
NK cells play a key role in fighting off viruses and tumor formation.
Youre going to feel pretty miserable and dysfunctional with this much sleep deprivation, Cline says.
Microsleeps also increase in length and frequency.
This is also when the mind is ripe for hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia, Al-Sharif says.
Chester Wu, MD, is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine.
She is the proud mother of 3 humans, 2 dogs, and 1 cat.
She loves good books, live music, and Broadway musicals.
Carmen Chai is a Canadian journalist and award-winning health reporter.
Her interests include emerging medical research, exercise, nutrition, mental health, and maternal and pediatric health.
Her work has also appeared in theToronto Star,Vancouver Province,and theNational Post.
She received a bachelors degree in journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto.
