Is sleep deprivation a silent killer? Check this out. Many of us do not get enough sleep. Reasons may include stress, pain, poor sleeping habits, using electronic screens before going to bed, or the stimulation from video games. Other things such as caffeine or caffeinated drinks may also contribute to sleep issues. Correcting a poor sleep cycle can be frustrating since it takes time to change bad habits and to eventually find out why someone has difficulty sleeping in the first place. Regulating sleep may require supplementation with things such as ashwagandha which can help re-regulate the stress hormone cortisol which should be high in the morning and low at night. A simple spit test can help you and your doctor understand if cortisol levels are contributing to the problem. Supplements such as cortisol manager by Integrative therapeutics may help you sleep better with its main ingredient being ashwagandha. Take this supplement two hours before bedtime regularly to get the best benefit level. Staying away from electronic screens an hour or so before bedtime may also help as you calm down before sleeping. Not sleeping enough can affect your overall health. The body repairs itself during sleep. Check out this interesting article regarding sleep and your health. Why Sleep Deprivation Kills Going without sleep for too long kills animals but scientists haven’t known why. Newly published work suggests that the answer lies in an unexpected part of the body. by Veronique Greenwood Inside a series of tubes in a bright, warm room at Harvard Medical School, hundreds of fruit flies are staying up late. It has been days since any of them have slept: The constant vibrations that shake their homes preclude rest, cling as they might to the caps of the tubes for respite. Not too far away in their own tubes live other sleepless flies, animated with the calm persistence of those consigned to eternal day. A genetic tweak to certain neurons in their brains keeps them awake for as long as they live. They do not live long. The shaken flies and the engineered flies both die swiftly — in fact, the engineered ones survive only half as long as well-rested controls. After days of sleeplessness, the flies’ numbers tumble, then crash. The tubes empty out. The lights shine on. Read more