| The human body is often cited to be a complex | | | | differences in the metabolic rates of the people who |
| machine, with several subsections that are working in | | | | were subjected to controlled levels of sleep |
| conjunction with one another. As such, it can be seen | | | | deprivation. The results showed that glucose tolerance, |
| that there is some truth to the traditional Chinese | | | | one of the key indicators used to determine whether |
| medicine concept of treating overall balance, rather | | | | someone has diabetes, changed. Rather than showing |
| than individual symptoms. Since all the systems are | | | | a normal glucose tolerance for their age, the sleep |
| inevitably interconnected, then what affects one | | | | deprived test subjects exhibited the tolerance of |
| aspect of a person's physical or mental health can also | | | | someone in the early stages of diabetes. The results |
| have an effect other aspects. While everyone and | | | | seem to indicate that the body's ability to metabolize |
| their grandmother knows that disrupting one's sleep | | | | glucose is hampered by sleep debt. |
| patterns or a lack of sleep can have an effect on the | | | | The results suggest that sleep deprivation may play a |
| body, new research is revealing that there may be | | | | role in the onset of diabetes, as well as being |
| more side effects than conventional knowledge is | | | | considered as a possible factor in the statistic rise of |
| aware of. | | | | people with diabetes in developed countries. Other |
| Most people are already aware of the more | | | | effects that the study noted included hypertension, |
| immediate effects of sleep problems, such as | | | | more rapid aging of skin cells, a decreased metabolic |
| insomnia. There is a noticeable drop in alertness and | | | | rate (which may lead to obesity), and various |
| cognitive ability, which can sometimes appear to be | | | | memory-related issues. The study was conducted only |
| cumulative if the lack of sleep is prolonged. Sensory | | | | on a short-term basis (for this type of research), lasting |
| information can sometimes be processed slower than | | | | only 16 days. It is speculated that the recorded effects |
| normal. There are also some studies that point to | | | | can only get worse if the sleep deprivation period was |
| partial temporary memory loss as an effect. The ability | | | | prolonged. |
| to control body temperature is also disrupted, with | | | | It is notable that, unlike studies that have come before |
| some people losing the ability to regulate body heat | | | | it, this research team was not interested in the |
| altogether after prolonged periods with disrupted or | | | | cognitive effects. There has always been speculation |
| broken sleep cycles. Significant lack of sleep has also | | | | on the concrete physical effects of a lack of sleep on |
| been known to speed up the aging process of the | | | | the body, but there has never been a study dedicated |
| skin, making a person seem older than they actually | | | | solely to pursuing what those effects are. The study is |
| are. | | | | actually considered rather timely, mainly because most |
| However, there are even more problems for those | | | | of the working population spends less than the |
| with chronic lack of sleep or broken sleep cycles. | | | | recommended eight hours of sleep. While the |
| According to research recently completed by the U.S. | | | | difference of eight hours to the average sleep time of |
| Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the | | | | five hours may not seem that significant, the results |
| metabolism of a person may also be subject to side | | | | emerged from test subjects who were subjected to |
| effects of sleep deprivation. There were profound | | | | just five hours of sleep per 24-hour period. |