Physical effects of Sleep Deprivation According to numerous studies, the optimum amount of sleep a person should get each night is seven to eight hours. A lot of people have trouble getting the right amount of sleep, especially college students. Between schoolwork, household chores and extracurricular activities, most of the time a person gets only a few hours of sleep at night. “Most of the physical side effects from sleep deprivation are relatively minor and, thankfully, easily reversible. And the cure? Get some sleep. If you do not sleep enough, you may be faced with myriad consequences.” So what are these consequences? (Peters, B., 2011) The first thing you may notice will be the increased sensitivity to pain. Studies have shown our sensitivity to heat and pressure pain is especially enhanced when we don’t sleep enough. Also, there is reported to be an increased sensitivity to pain in our esophagus, as might occur in the setting of nighttime heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). (Kryger, M., 2011) Pain disturbs sleep by inducing arousal and triggering all other neurobiological sequels of stress, which are incompatible with an undisturbed sleep. Accordingly, sufficient management of disturbed sleep might alleviate pain. On the other hand, better pain relief may promote more restorative sleep, which then further assists in long-term pain relief. (Lautenbacher, S., Kaunderman , B., & Krieg, J., 2006) Second, will be the change in your vital signs. You may not notice it, but decrease in body temperature is also a sign of sleep deprivation. Although, changes in the other vital signs are relatively mild based on various studies, drastic changes can lead to illnesses. Sleep-deprived people, when they do sleep, tend to have longer and more frequent pauses in their breathing called apnea. (Kryger, M., 2011) The major concern of these different physical effects of sleep deprivation is the role it plays on our general health. Indeed, sleep deprivation may bring the deterioration of our health status and in severe cases, death itself. Furthermore, chronic sleep deprivation may unsympathetically impact our metabolism, leading to impaired glucose tolerance, a risk for diabetes, and of course, weight gain. In addition, there seems to be some evidence that sleep deprivation undermines our immune function, putting us at risk for frequent illness. (Peters, B., 2011) For all of these reasons, we should prioritize our sleep and obtain the adequate amount of rest that our body require for its daily function.

Source:
Kryger, M., et al. (2011). Principle and practice of sleep medicine. Elsevier, 5th edition, 502-503.
Peters, B. (2011). What are the physical effects of sleep deprivation?. Retrieved from http://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/sleepandgeneralhealth/a/What-Are-The-Physical-Effects-Of-Sleep-Deprivation.htm
Lautenbacher, S., Kaunderman , B., & Krieg, J. (2006). Sleep deprivation and pain perception. Sleep Medicine, (10), 357-369. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2005.08.001