Answer: Lack of sleep can hinder concentration, mood and mental function.
Ever wonder why you get sleepy when you drink alcohol? Alcohol is a depressant; it relaxes your central nervous system and slows down its functioning to help cause sleepiness. Have too much alcohol and the depressant effect becomes sedative. This means that any stimulants (caffeine, for example) could really be working against such a state of slumber! Remember going to college where you would have really strong coffee in the morning just so that it wouldn’t have time to wear off while you slept? Definitely not a found solution! The momentary stimulation creates a rebound crash later, often leaving one feeling even more awake than if they had just left well enough.
Answer:
In order for your brain to function best, it needs the time and resources of a full night’s sleep. How much is best? While everybody has different sleep and work patterns, most experts recommend seven consecutive hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep each night.
The human body moves through five stages of sleep overnight: four NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) cycles with approximately 90 minutes of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) at the end. Each cycle proceeds inconsistently in an upward movement from light (stage 1) to deep (stage 4). The brain literally moves upward through these areas where neurons fire faster and faster until it reaches REM stage, which occurs typically 90 minutes after we fall asleep.
Answer:
The main consequence of not resting enough is that your mental endurance will feel the effects. When you don’t rest enough, your brain cells will begin to die and accumulate excess proteins, fatty acids, and cholesterol which leads to overworked “wiry” brain cells which do not function as well.
Insufficient sleep is also correlated with an increased likelihood of developing stroke or Alzheimer’s disease according to some studies. Another consequence of lack of REM sleep is the reduced release in one’s growth hormone (which affects sex drive) at night when it should normally be released for regenerative purposes if adequate rest has been obtained sustaining ones metabolism (and mood).
One side effect can be mood changes like irritability when they go past 24 hours without.