What are the health risks of sleep deprivation?

In two studies, sleep deprivation exaggerated the hormone responses to normal "irritating" stresses. That overreaction probably contributes to aging. Sleep deprivation also reduces task performance in almost all mock and real worksites where tested. Also, the effect on the risk of auto accidents and the decrease in judgment from just two hours of sleep deprivation is similar to that produced by a blood alcohol level of 0.12. This 0.12 level is 50percent higher than the level at which most states consider drivers unfit to drive. Two hours of sleep deprivation can also make you irritable, disagreeable to be around, and less focused mentally.

As mentioned above, sleepy people are at greater risk of accidents (and not just auto accidents). For auto accidents, the greatest risk occurs during periods of maximum sleepiness, such as the late afternoon or after midnight. As your body gets increasingly tired, your "sleep latency window" - the time it takes to go from being bored to dead asleep - decreases from as much as three minutes to just thirty seconds. (In one of our studies on sleep, it was all too easy to find physician test subjects who were naturally sleep-deprived. Maybe you should avoid booking appointments with physicians for the late afternoon.)

With some major exceptions, sleep is a lot like sex. It's something you really look forward to, and it makes you feel great when you're done. Most importantly, though, sleep is more like your boss-it's much more agreeable when it goes uninterrupted.

Lack of sleep makes you less mentally aware, more fatigued, causes you to eat more, and puts you at a higher risk of accidents. Plus, being fatigued puts you at greater risk for making choices that age you (when you're tired, it's easier to order the bacon double fat-burger than the grilled salmon).

If you have sleep apnea, even getting eight hours of sleep won't be enough, because the many interruptions to sleep means you're simply not getting enough of the rejuvenating REM sleep and slow-wave sleep you need.

While sleeping pills may seem like a good idea-because they do work in the short-term by shutting off the Leno-watching neurons-they have harmful effects over the long-term because they have addictive qualities.