"Sleep deprivation may impact brain like binge drinking, researchers say"

Via Instapundit: “Our reaction time, our movement time, our cognitive decisions, our awareness of space and temporal positioning — that’s what alcohol [influences]. Sleep deprivation does the same thing,” said Farrell Cahill, associate research director of Medisys Health Group.

For what is considered adequate sleep, people typically need between seven and nine hours of sleep at a time. Six hours or fewer is considered sleep deprivation, Cahill said.

Signs that Cahill said indicate you may suffer from chronic sleep deprivation include:

• Lethargy and lack of energy
• Increase in inappropriate appetite
• Increased irritability
• Inability to govern sleep patterns
• Emotional imbalance
• Difficulty dealing with day-to-day stressors

Because sleep deprivation impacts bodily functions and metabolism, including appetite-regulating hormones, it also may cause someone to consume food when they don’t actually need it, Cahill said.

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