While you might sleep for a day or two without hurting yourself or others, it's not a healthy habit. A common misconception about sleep is that we only need it for energy during the day, and that a few cups of strong coffee in the morning can serve you just as well as to rest all night long. While sleeping a few nights here and there probably isn't bad in the long run, maintaining a regular cycle of about eight hours of sleep is ideal for your well-being, even if that means forcing yourself to close TikTok and leave your phone behind for the night. After all, you know that you should get enough sleep is incredibly beneficial to the human brain, but the lure of surfing TikTok late at night (resulting in four hours or less of sleep) wins most of the time.
Limiting sleep increases the risk of developing many health problems, such as diabetes, depression or cardiovascular disease. Three consecutive sleepless nights will have a big impact on your body and mind, including your mental health. If your job requires you to wake up early, but you also insist on staying up late, that short night's sleep won't do you any favors. According to Woodman, “A lack of sleep can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and coronary heart disease.
Many people say that polyphasic sleep allows you to sleep more efficiently and achieve the same amount of rest in fewer hours. Sleep is essential to health, and deep sleep is the most important of all to feel rested and stay healthy. Not only does the quality of sleep affect physical well-being, Woodman says it also plays an important role in mental health care. When you don't sleep well, your body needs more energy to perform everyday actions, as it works harder to keep you awake, Woodman explains.
If you have to limit your sleep for a few days, you can increase your energy by spending time in sunlight, taking short naps during the day, and exercising lightly. No matter how convinced you are that four hours of sleep is enough, science is not on your side (sadly). While sleeping four hours a night does not constitute a total lack of sleep, Woodman explains that it will definitely affect the level of productivity and body functions. Sleep deprivation in polyphasic programs is likely to have the same negative health consequences as other forms of sleep deprivation.
