|
Our readers are invited to email us with their questions!
Q: What happens when you don't get enough sleep? (Lindsey H.)
A: Lindsey, within just 24 hours of staying awake, your brain will behave as if you had a blood-alcohol level of .10 (that’s above the legal limit) and your memory, ability to concentrate, hand to eye coordination, attention, and hearing will all be impaired.
At 36 hours of no sleep, your chances of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and hormonal imbalances will be increased.
At 48 hours of sleep deprivation, you will be susceptible to microsleeps, which are involuntary mini blackouts that can last between 2 to 30 seconds.
And at 72 hours, you will likely full-on hallucinate. A simple conversation will be beyond you.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Q: When should you stop drinking coffee to sleep soundly at night? (Stephanie V.)
A: Stephanie, the speed at which you metabolize caffeine creates a natural cut off point through the day. Whereas a fast metabolizer might clear 100-200 milligrams, what’s in a typical cup of coffee, in just a few hours, it might take a slow metabolizer 12-hours-plus, which could impact sleep.”
For slow coffee metabolizers, a cut-off time between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. is suggested, because it can take your body a full eight hours to process said caffeine burst. But even if it goes right through your system, fast metabolizers should have their last cup no later than 5 p.m., when it’s time to start prepping for bed anyway.
|
