WASHINGTON — Another reason to get a good night’s sleep: Sleep deprivation and intoxication impair many bodily functions in similar ways, according to sleep experts.
“Our reaction time, our movement time, our cognitive decisions, our awareness of space and temporal positioning — that’s what alcohol [influences]. Sleep deprivation does the same thing,” said Farrell Cahill, associate research director of Medisys Health Group.
For what is considered adequate sleep, people typically need between seven and nine hours of sleep at a time. Six hours or fewer is considered sleep deprivation, Cahill said.
Signs that Cahill said indicate you may suffer from chronic sleep deprivation include:
- Lethargy and lack of energy
- Increase in inappropriate appetite
- Increased irritability
- Inability to govern sleep patterns
- Emotional imbalance
- Difficulty dealing with day-to-day stressors
Because sleep deprivation impacts bodily functions and metabolism, including appetite-regulating hormones, it also may cause someone to consume food when they don’t actually need it, Cahill said.
“Sleep deprivation […] now is a culprit potentially in the development of obesity in our society today,” Cahill said.
Numerous studies have observed the effects of sleep deprivation, but in one of the largest sleep deprivation studies of its kind, Cambridge Brain Sciences is helping to launch a study to understand these mechanisms in more detail.
Suggestions for getting a good night’s sleep include getting regular exercise, reducing stress, avoiding caffeine, limiting alcohol, turning off electronic devices before bedtime and keeping a regular schedule, according to Adrian Owen, M.D., the neuroscientist leading the new study.
