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Effects of Long Term Sleep Deprivation?

I am actually afraid for my health. I am about to graduate from college, but I wonder *what* of my physical, mental and possibly neurological health I have sacrificed to get it... See, I have been in college for almost 8 years- from when I was 18 to now (I am about to turn 26).

As an art major, I have had to pull all-nighters working on projects on a regular basis- at least 1-3 times a week (now it's 2-4 times a week in the last two years), EVERY week of a semester. ...Since 2003. My only breaks have been summer and Christmas. You can do the math from there. The effects this has had have been becoming increasingly scary.

As a result, I have had to deal with (in no particular order):

anxiety, gastrointestinal problems, depression, vertigo, "migraines" (VERY sharp, sudden painful headaches, hallucinations- both visible and audio (only happened if I went 30-48 hours without sleep), stress headaches, depression, VERY low immune system (multivitamins helped bring that back up a bit- before, I could not go into a crowd without catching God knows what), inability to concentrate, irritability, memory loss, a MUCH shorter attention span (I can't even watch TV for more than 20 minutes without getting bored/distracted/losing interest.), I can't focus on anything for too long, feelings of numbness in limbs, weight gain, high blood pressure, extremely tense and painful muscle knots in my shoulders, unpredictable change in body temperature- anywhere from 95.7-98.6, and most recently, I learned I have anemia- brought on by my every day coffee consumption (during the semester) that made it difficult for me to absorb whatever iron I was getting (I can't eat red meat as I can't digest it). I now get random pains throughout the body- chest pains, headaches, back aches, and then some.

Most recently, I have had to deal with getting dizzy off of sugar, vertigo that feels like elevator dips if I have caffeine and/or energy drinks, or if I do something too fast, all effects of anemia- light headedness, chest pains, fainting, weakness, etc, hallucinations if I go more than 19 hours without sleep (at least the voices can harmonize...), weird smells o.O, migraines (sharp painful headaches in certain spots that may go away with change of lighting), inability to focus, and impaired memory. :( among other things I honestly can not remember to list at the moment.

I also have NO health coverage.

To stay caught up in my classes, I would have either needed a time machine, or simply get 4 or less hours of sleep a day- weekends included. My body has simply not been able to do it, and my grades suffered accordingly. I have been at a race against my body to graduate so I don't freaking collapse or actually suffer some kind of permanent damage.

....And that is exactly what I am scared may have happened. Moral of the story is, don't get an art degree if you value your cognitive abilities. But,

Is everything I have been experiencing just a result of long term sleep deprivation and stress (High stress, low sleep lifestyle), or, is it possible that I have seriously shortened my lifespan, or am going to have some kind of permanent impairment. I plan on taking a 6 month hiatus from ALL major projects and get onto a 7-8 hour sleep schedule, but, is it too late? Or will symptoms go away with time? I can't pretend I am not scared.

Thanks in advance.

3 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    It has been suggested that maintaining a regular sleep_wake rhythm is more important than the no. of hours actually slept. Some people, for example can function on as little as 5 hrs. of sleep each night.

    but a prolonged disturbance results in decreases in amount, quality and consistency of sleep and can lead to a syndrome referred to a sleep deprivation. this is not a sleep disorder in itself but a result of sleep disturbances . It produces a variety of physiologic and behavioral symptoms, the variety of which depends on the degree of deprivation.

    two major types of sleep dep. is are REM deprivation and NREM dep. . A combination of the two increases the severity of symptoms.

    Type: REM deprivation

    Causes: Alcohol, barbiturates, shift work, jet lag, extended icu hospitalization, morphine, demerol

    Signs: excitability, restlessness, irritability, increase sensitivity to pain, confusion and suspiciousness, emotional lability.

    NREM DEP.

    Causes: all of the above plus valium, dalmane, hypothyroidism, depression, Respiratory distress disorder, sleep apnea and Age (common in elderly)

    signs: withdrawal, apathy, hyporesponsiveness, feeling physically uncomfortable, lack of facial expression, speech deterioration, excessive sleepiness

    both rem and nrem

    signs: decrease reasoning ability and inability to concentrate, marked fatigue manifested by blurred vision, itchy eyes, nausea, headache, difficulty performing activities of daily living, lack of memory, mental confusion, visual and auditory hallucinations and illusions.

    so i guess this answers your questions... you need to sleep dear! because no matter how hard you study, without sleep, your grades and worst, your health will suffer.

    Source(s): Fundamentals of Nursing, Kozier.page 952
  • 1 decade ago

    WOW. I mean wow man. An art degree is NOT worth all that. I can understand if it was maybe a Phd or Masters degree, something will definitely pay you back in the long run, but not an art degree!

    Man you definitely need to take the 6 month hiatus and take care of yourself! Your body will probably release extra amounts of melatonin when you sleep now because it doesn't know when the next chance it will have to sleep. So you'll probably feel tired even after the 8 hours. If possible try to take a 30 minute nap during the day. ONLY 30 minutes. Then go to bed a set time every night. Its going to take awhile for you body to adjust to these changes. Its been deprived of something it needs for a very long time so its going to fight with you.

    Also even after the 6 months do your projects in a timely manner. I'm a graphic designer and I know about deadlines and everything like that but really your health is more important.

    I know you said you have no coverage but there must be a free clinic around you somewhere. CVS? Walgreen's? Go take a quick physical or evaluation to see what your stats are. Maybe they can give you some advice as well.

    Good luck hun! Please take better care of yourself, you have a bright future ahead of you!

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    Average person needs 8 hours of sleep a night. Your brain cells dont die when u dont get enough sleep. Try a natural sleep aide over the counter.

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