5 reasons why sleep loss can shorten your life

1. SLEEP LESS, DIE EARLY
5 REASONS WHY SLEEP LOSS CAN SHORTEN YOUR LIFE
SONIA WIBISONO

2. Not getting enough sleep each night
can lead to serious health risks.
It can also have long lasting,
possibly permanent,
negative impact on your body and mind.

3. 5 REASONS WHY SLEEP LOSS
CAN SHORTEN YOUR LIFE
COMPILED FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES,
ALL BASED ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHES

4. REASON #1
SLEEP LOSS DECREASES
IMMUNITY

5. #1: DECREASES IMMUNITY
People who are sleep
deprived have poor
antibody response to
flu vaccine—less than
50%—compared to
people with enough
sleep.
Walker, M. P. Sleep Deprivation I: Immune Function & Metabolism [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bspace.berkeley.edu

6. #1: DECREASES IMMUNITY
People who are sleep
deprived have 73%
lower natural killer cells
activity, which plays a
major role in fighting
tumors, cancer, and
virus infected cells.
A natural killer cell
Walker, M. P. Sleep Deprivation I: Immune Function & Metabolism [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bspace.berkeley.edu

7. #1: DECREASES IMMUNITY
A small natural killer cell is attacking a large cancer cell (left) and a tumor cell (right)
http://www.conkwest.com/natural-killer-cells

8. REASON #2
SLEEP LOSS INCREASES
RISK OF DIABETES

9. #2: INCREASES RISK OF DIABETES
Sleep loss can make
your body become
more insulin-resistant.
What that means is
normal levels of
insulin do not trigger
glucose absorption.
Walker, M. P. Sleep Deprivation I: Immune Function & Metabolism [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bspace.berkeley.edu

10. #2: INCREASES RISK OF DIABETES
As a result, pancreas releases even more
insulin, which will result in a drop in blood sugar.
Insulin-resistance can progress to type-II
diabetes, which can reduce your life expectancy by
up to 10 years.
Walker, M. P. Sleep Deprivation I: Immune Function & Metabolism [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bspace.berkeley.edu

11. REASON #3
SLEEP LOSS INCREASES
RISK OF OBESITY

12. #3: INCREASES RISK OF OBESITY
Lack of sleep can cause an imbalance between the
two hormones of hunger. Sleep loss results in lower
leptin (“do not eat” hormone) and higher ghrelin
(“eat” hormone).
Walker, M. P. Sleep Deprivation I: Immune Function & Metabolism [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bspace.berkeley.edu

13. #3: INCREASES RISK OF OBESITY
Consequently, you will feel
hungry all the time and
usually crave foods high in
carbs in particular.
Even after eating, you might
still feel unsatisfied. This can
ultimately lead to obesity.
Note: obese people live 3-12 years
less than normal-weight people.
Walker, M. P. Sleep Deprivation I: Immune Function & Metabolism [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bspace.berkeley.edu

14. REASON #4
SLEEP LOSS INCREASES
RISK OF STROKE

15. #4: INCREASES RISK OF STROKE
Studies show that if you
get less than six hours of
sleep per night, you
have a 48% greater
chance of
developing/dying from
heart disease and 15%
greater chance of
developing/dying from
stroke.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/09/sleep-medical-research

16. #4: INCREASES RISK OF STROKE
Poor sleep increases the production of stress
hormones and drives up blood pressure, a major risk
factor for heart attacks and strokes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_deprivation

17. REASON #5
SLEEP LOSS INCREASES
PROBABILITY OF ACCIDENTS

18. #5: INCREASES
PROBABILITY OF ACCIDENTS
Sleep deprivation was cited as a significant factor in
these catastrophes:
• Three Mile Island’s partial nuclear meltdown in
March 1979
• Nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl in April 1986
• Exxon Valdez oil spill in March 1989
http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences/sleep-performance-and-public-safety

19. #5: INCREASES
PROBABILITY OF ACCIDENTS
The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration
conservatively estimates that
100,000 police-reported
crashes are the direct result of
driver fatigue each year.
It takes only 4 seconds of
attention lapse to result in a
potentially fatal crash.
http://drowsydriving.org/about/facts-and-stats/
Walker, M. P. Sleep Deprivation III: Brain Consequences [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://bspace.berkeley.edu

20. Now that you understand
how less sleep can cause early death,
you might want to consider
shutting down your computer
and get some sleep.
Disclaimer: The author cannot be held responsible for problems
caused by your getting caught sleeping during working hours.