Effects of Sleep Deprivation: What You Need to Know

My sleep pattern was absolutely terrible last week. Seriously, every time I started feeling sleepy, my brain would just decide, "Nope, let's try to stay awake for no good reason." And then, some nights, I'd just keep waking up mid-sleep. It was not a good feeling, especially when I still had to work. Ugh.

But thankfully, this week is different and better. I got a brand new duvet and pillows, and honestly, sometimes it's those little changes that just spark a massive amount of joy and relaxation. I know part of it is just my love for all things new (and okay, yes, these were sent to me), but genuinely, the material they've used in this duvet and the pillows is just so incredibly mild and soft on the skin. And the two pillows? Oh my goodness, they feel like pure heaven when I sink my head into them.

I seriously appreciate when brands actually put in the work when it comes to bedtime accessories. I've got one pillow I just hug, and the other one perfectly cradles my head, all snuggled under the duvet. I don't even know how to properly explain it, but it's just... fluffy, soft, mild, trendy, and friendly! Yep, that's the best way I can describe it. And honestly, I've been sleeping way better since the very first night I started using my new Slumberdown duvet and pillows. It's been bliss.

There are different duvets on the website, but if you specifically want to try out mine, it is called a "wonderful wool duvet." I have the queen size, which should be the superking size.

We all have those nights where sleep just doesn't happen, right? But sleep deprivation? That's a whole different ballgame. Seriously, not getting enough shut-eye can really mess with your health and well-being, from making you gain weight to even increasing your risk of a heart attack.

Basically, sleep deprivation comes in two flavors: complete or partial, depending on how much sleep you're actually missing. And honestly, both types can hit you with similar mental and physical effects.

Complete sleep deprivation: This is when you just don't sleep at all – like pulling an all-nighter. You know, usually, we're up for about 16 or 17 hours before hitting the hay. But once you push past that, you go from feeling a bit tired to absolutely wiped out. Even simple stuff starts feeling impossible.

It's pretty wild, but studies on things like hand-eye coordination show that this kind of sleep deprivation can be as bad as being drunk. Imagine, 24 hours awake can make you as impaired as having a blood alcohol content of 0.10%! Yikes.

Being sleep-deprived also makes you way more likely to nod off behind the wheel or just totally lose focus. These are seriously dangerous things that cause thousands of accidents every single year.

If someone goes for two or three days without any sleep, they really struggle with tasks needing high attention and often end up with crazy mood swings, feeling depressed, and being super tense.

Your performance also dips thanks to your circadian rhythms. So, you might still feel okay in the morning or evening, but when those deep sleepiness peaks hit (like mid-afternoon or overnight), you literally can't stay awake. You might even doze off standing, sitting, or even talking or working!

Partial sleep deprivation: This happens when you get some sleep, but it's not 100% of what you need. Doctors call this building up a sleep debt.

After just one short night of sleep, most of us can usually function pretty normally. You might not feel amazing, but you can usually get through the day without anyone noticing. But after two or more nights of short sleep, you'll start seeing signs: irritability, constant sleepiness, and your work performance really starts to suffer, especially on tough tasks. Plus, you're more likely to feel run-down with headaches, tummy issues, sore joints, memory lapses, and just being slow to react. And yeah, that risk of falling asleep on the job or while driving shoots way up.

Long-term partial sleep deprivation is when you consistently get less than optimal sleep for months or even years. This is super common for people with insomnia or other sleep disorders. But even if you don't have those, it's easy to fall into this trap with all the 24/7 online distractions, communication, and entertainment opportunities out there.

Bottom line: Both complete and partial sleep deprivation are bad news for your health, performance, and safety – sometimes as risky as being intoxicated. Good news is, you can often bounce back once you catch up on sleep. But if those sleep problems keep sticking around, it's really important to chat with your doctor to figure out what's going on and get some healthy sleep habits in place.

I wish everyone a wonderful new month. Welcome to the month of August 2025.