Did You Know #3

Did you know driving while sleep deprived is just as dangerous as driving drunk or while texting? Sleep deprivation is what happen when you neglect sleep. Without sleep, both mind and body will slow and start to shut down. It can cause physical problems such as: fatigue, daytime sleepiness, weight gain/obesity, higher blood pressure, clumsiness, and aged skin. However, sleep deprivation mostly affects your brain/cognitive functions such as: slower reaction time, affects the mood in negative ways, increase in anxiety, inability to concentrate, forgetfulness, and stress. A person that is sleep deprived will also experience “microsleeps”, which is very short periods of sleep while still awake. Many people around the world are affected by sleep deprivation. In the 1900’s the average amount of sleep was 8-9 hours; today the average is 6-7 hours. A test preformed by Sleep Cycle shows the average amount of sleep people in Japan, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, India and The Philippines is less then 7 hours. (Read more about Sleep Deprivation?)