Why is sleep deprivation bad for me?

Lack of sleep can make doing almost everything we need to do much more difficult. Trying to do a job while sleep deprived often leads to poor job performance, something we all want to avoid. This can be particularly problematic for those who make important and far-reaching decisions about the lives of others, such as pilots and air traffic controllers.

We know this about sleep deprivation: there are real physiological and psychological effects as we deprive our bodies of a basic physical need. Our judgment isn’t always the best. Our reaction time slows, our memory decreases, our bodies and minds slowdown in an effort to preserve the energy we have left. In addition the more sleep deprived we get the less we notice it! Dr. Michael Breus

The side effects of too little sleep extend far beyond yawning. To find out how detrimental sleep deprivation can be, watch this video featuring sleep medicine expert Dr. Carol Ash.