Experiment: how lack of sleep affects our psyche
The transfer clock to winter time last weekend gave the inhabitants of many countries the opportunity at the weekend to sleep in. And that, in General, not bad, as the inhabitants of Western countries, and Britain in particular, there is a chronic lack of sleep.
According to the Centre for sleep research, the average Brit is sleeping an average of 6.5 hours per day, which for the vast majority of people is not enough.
Many studies have shown that reducing the time to sleep, we can greatly harm their health.
Just a few nights of poor sleep can affect blood sugar and contribute to overeating. Changes can be observed even at the DNA level.
A few years ago, TV guide Bi-bi-si, Trust Me I’m a Doctor (Your doctor) together with the University of Surrey conducted an experiment: the study participants were asked for one week to reduce the time of sleep for just one hour.
Dr. Simon Archer from the University of Surrey announced that this reduction of sleep time has affected the functioning of many genes (about 500), including those genes that are responsible for the occurrence of inflammation in the body and the development of diabetes.
It is clear that lack of sleep negatively affects our physical health. But how lack of sleep affects our mental state?
TV guide Bi-bi-si, Trust Me I’m a Doctor in conjunction with the University of Oxford conducted a little experiment.
This time we have attracted to the study participants, which can boast of a sound sleep. We supplied them with a device that monitors phases of sleep and its quality.
The first three nights they had to sleep 8 hours. The following three nights they were allowed to sleep only four hours.
Each day, participants answered a series of questions that were supposed to reveal their psychological state, changes in their mood and emotions. Also they were video diaries.
What are the results of the experiment?