Try as you might, it is impossible to go without sleep, sooner or later you’re bound to fall asleep. There have been various experiments conducted on lab rats, leading to a conclusion: complete sleep deprivation leads to death even faster than starvation. Sleeplessness can destroy the body, and after a certain point it’s virtually impossible to prevent sleep.

If you’re sleep deprived, you first become irritable, then forgetful. Without sleep it gets harder and harder to concentrate, and the simplest task becomes impossible to complete, not to mention something more complex, like driving a car. Extended periods of sleep deprivation also lead to reduced immune system response, fluctuating blood pressure and changes in metabolism.

However, sleep can’t really be utterly understood; there’s no obvious chemical change, such as the buildup of carbon dioxide when we don’t breathe, to explain its effects. The body simply shuts down when we sleep, while the brain keeps going.

You can last a while without food, but complete sleep deprivation will kill you without a doubt. You need sleep to function and survive, and without it the brain cannot do anything. Even though sometimes we wish the day had more hours, and we ignore sleep for other “more important” activities, sleep deprivation will only make everything worse.

Link: EZine Articles
http://ezinearticles.com/?Sleep-Deprivation-Can-Kill-You-Faster-Than-Starvation&id=4679476

Dr. Alan Weidner
www.massage-chair-relief.com