Consequences of acute and chronic lack of sleep
If one considers the consequences of sleep deprivation, acute and chronic effects can be distinguished. Acute consequences occur at short notice, i.e. when a person affected does not get enough sleep for one or more days. The consequences resulting from this lack of sleep are then above all pronounced tiredness as well as limitations in concentration and other mental abilities.
A very important, because dangerous, aspect of acute sleep deficiency is the so-called microsleep. It comes with affected persons to a several seconds lasting “dozing off”, which is unforgivable especially in traffic. Contrary to the widespread conception of this phenomenon, microsleep can also occur with open eyes.
The following statistics make it clear how dangerous this can be: According to current studies, up to 25% of traffic accidents result from the overtiredness of one of the people involved in the accident. The chronic consequences of sleep deprivation are more likely to be metabolic (i.e. metabolic), social or psychological. These include an impairment of the sugar metabolism, which can result in an increased sugar level in the blood and thus in a metabolic situation similar to that of diabetics.
In addition, people affected by sleep deprivation tend much more often to develop overweight, which further strains the sugar metabolism. A further aspect of the metabolic effects of a sleep deficiency is the increase in blood pressure. Since increased blood pressure, increased blood sugar mirror and predominance belong to the main factors of risk for illnesses of the cardiovascular system, from sleep deficiency concerning a significantly increased danger for such events are like z.B.
a heart attack or stroke. In addition to metabolic processes, chronic sleep deprivation often impairs social life. Colleagues and superiors are dissatisfied with the work of the person concerned, and at the same time the lack of sleep and the resulting permanent fatigue reduces the extra-professional activities for many of those affected.
Thus, to put it mildly, the affected person gets into a situation in which he or she would need a compensation from work more urgently than usual, but in return is less motivated than usual. With the demarcation of the chronic from the acute consequences of a lack of sleep one should be however conscious itself that also chronic lack of sleep includes the symptoms of an acute lack of sleep with and therefore the same potential dangers in traffic holds!
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