Amnesty International lists sleep deprivation as a form of Torture.

However, for some crazy reason sleep is one of the first things that we are all willing to sacrifice to keep up with life’s demands.

Sleep deprivation impacts cognition (thinking), mood, memory and learning, and leads to chronic disease. You must have noticed how staying up too late effects your emotions and your response to stress. Your attention becomes limited, and you should definitely steer away from any serious decision making.

If you are anything like me you are less likely to want to exercise when you are tired from not getting a good nights sleep, and you are also more susceptible to any of the bugs around as a lack of sleep also lowers your immunity.

For our brain, sleep is not a period of rest.  Our brain is in fact very active when we are asleep. Sleep is required to form new memories and clear toxins from the brain which have accumulated during the course of the day. It is a time when brain changes or neuroplasticity occurs, and also the time when memories are moved from short-to long-term storage.

So next time your favorite movie or television series is playing past your bedtime, seriously think about whether it is worth it or not!