Sleep is one of the essential functions of all humans. Food, water and sleep are all vital to survival. It’s more essential than food, as humans need sleep more often than they need food. The lack of sleep has been proven to create a shorter life span. A lack of sleep also causes a less effective immune system, a lower body temperature, memory impairment and moodiness. When excessive sleep deprivation occurs, people can experience severe illness and death.

On average, most adults need about eight hours of sleep. Children are recommended more sleep, which changes with their age. Growth hormones are released while children sleep. Getting less sleep means less hormone and not reaching full height. Lack of sleep in children is also linked to poor academic performance.

A lowered immune response is known to result in illness. Heart disease is an especially serious consequence of sleep deprivation. A continual lack of enough sleep will cause high blood pressure. Hypertension is a potentially fatal condition. The level of stress hormones in the body are also raised by a lack of sleep. These elevated levels cause a raise in appetite and more fat being stored. Abdominal weight gain is the result. Getting too little sleep may also lower cancer risks.

Many everyday behaviors are greatly affected by a lack of sleep. Getting more sleep boosts test scores. Getting enough sleep helps short term memory retrieval. Sleeping can make it easier to remember a new task. Sleep aids in every type of concentration. The proper concentration for academic subjects suffers without sleep, as do other types of concentration. Basic math and communication skills are in some part dependent on getting the appropriate amount of sleep.

When a person gets little sleep, they are in danger from many of the tasks they take for granted. Driving while drunk is as dangerous as driving while sleepy. Operating any kind of machinery when sleep deprived is unsafe. Without enough hours of sleep, reactions are not as rapid. Going on very little sleep can create some inappropriate sleeping time. Microbursts of involuntary sleep for a few seconds are the result. During those times, injuries often occur. In the U.S., fatigue causes about 71,000 highway injuries. Sleep deprivation causes 1,500 annual highway deaths.

Every function of the body is dependent on sleep. Anyone who gets too little will suffer for it. Hormone levels are regulated by sleep, keeping the body and the mind alert. Missing even one hour of sleep can result in a loss of productiveness when it’s needed the most.