From infants and children to teens and adults, a recent article from ABC News points out that everyone – even Navy SEALS – need sleep and plenty of it to function properly and stay healthy. Lack of sleep, or sleep deprivation is very dangerous to our minds and our bodies and even specially trained soldiers admit that it is no joke. The soldier depicted in the article was forced to train for five days without any sleep and the outcome is jaw-dropping. From hallucinations to chronic anxiety and emotional distress, a lack of sleep is a dangerous condition for all humans. Without it, this soldier admits having to go into survival mode.

Living in survival mode just doesn’t work and it isn’t safe. This soldier dealt with extreme chronic anxiety, was super emotional and impulsive, and couldn’t manage an appetite or keep a good workout regimen. All of that is essential for overall good health and sleep can affect each and every one of those aspects.  Good Morning America took a look at sleep deprivation as part of it’s 40 for 40 event. While that doesn’t come close to the amount of time the SEALS had to stay awake, it did show how gruesome sleep deprivation can be. According to the article, when people are sleep deprived, they actually experience cognitive slowing, impulsiveness, moodiness, a diminished immune system, and an accumulation of waste products in the brain and body. This comes from Dr. Charles Czeisler, the chair of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Furthermore, sleep deprivation can also affect a person’s heart. People who don’t sleep enough are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease—regardless of age, weight, smoking and exercise habits.

Sleep disorders are a major problem here in the United States. Experts estimate that between 50 and 70 million Americans have some sort of chronic sleep disorder impacting their life and nearly 40 percent of adults report falling asleep without meaning to at least once a month. Are you having a hard time sleeping at night? Do you wake up emotionally or physically exhausted? If you’d like to regain control of your physical, social and emotional health, better sleep can do the trick. Our sleep doctors can diagnose and treat a number of sleep issues and figure out how to alleviate your lack of sleep to help improve the quality of your life. Contact our sleep lab today and start living once again! To read the entire article from ABC News, click here https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/how-sleep-deprivation-affects-your-heart.