![]() ![]() Simply put, sleep deprivation happens when you don’t get enough sleep, and sleep debt is a way of measuring and categorizing sleep deprivation. But it’s possible to be both acutely and chronically sleep deprived simultaneously. But what about motor vehicle accidents, cancer, and heart disease - the three leading causes of death among American adults? Can severe sleep deprivation contribute to those fatalities? Unfortunately, yes.īut there are two different categories of sleep deprivation or sleep debt - acute and chronic - each with its own set of symptoms and effects. It’s probably safe to say that "lack of sleep" is not something medical examiners commonly list as an official cause of death. Lack of Sleep Plays a Role in Many Deaths However, there is a lot of overlap between symptoms of FFI and the effects of sleep deprivation many of us have experienced - from cognitive decline to short-term memory problems and difficulty focusing. The fact that FFI is a neurodegenerative disease does make it somewhat less viable as evidence of a direct link between sleep deprivation and death. Patients typically survive for an average of 18 months after diagnosis. People with FFI suffer from mild insomnia that quickly progresses into a complete inability to sleep and ultimately leads to death. But a rare hereditary disease called fatal familial insomnia (FFI) seems to prove that total lack of sleep can indeed lead to death. Another study, this time on sleep-deprived fruit flies, found a causal link between sleep deprivation and premature death.Įxamples of death via sleep deprivation in humans are understandably scant. A 1989 study found that total, prolonged sleep deprivation inevitably leads to death in rats. Sleep is so vital to our overall health that it’s something that we literally cannot live without, just like food, air, and water.Īnimal research points to evidence of a direct link between sleep deprivation and death. Improving your sleep can fundamentally improve your health, longevity, and how you feel on a daily basis.
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