Sleep is more important than food

American psychologist Abraham Maslow studied the lives of exemplary people.  In 1943 he published a paradigm describing what human beings need:  The Maslow Hierarchy of Human Needs.  At the base of the pyramid are the basic physiological needs:  air, food, water, sleep, shelter.  As you go up the pyramid, each level necessarily builds on the stability of the one below it.  You see needs related to safety (health, employment, stability), social (friendship, family), and esteem (confidence, achievement, respect).  At the pinnacle is self-actualization, the achievement of your full potential. This is available to you when you have all your underlying needs met.  

Human beings want to do more than just survive.  You have an internal desire to THRIVE, to reach for the top of the pyramid.  But let’s check back at your foundation . . . are there any weaknesses that could affect your ability to thrive?  

You know where I’m going with this.  Skimping on your sleep is going to affect all the levels above.  If you’re not getting all the healthy sleep you need, your health, your relationships, your esteem, and your ability to meet your full potential are compromised.  

The importance of the physiological needs at the base of the pyramid may be appreciated by considering our ability to survive in the absence of each.  You probably think of food as critically important to your survival, but you have enough reserves on your body to go without food for at least a few weeks.  If you are eating food, you can survive for a long time without taking a sip of water.  You can survive without any food or water intake for 3-5 days, with significant symptoms of dehydration occurring in the second half of the deprivation period.

But after just 24 hours of sleep deprivation, you will suffer noticeable effects, including impaired short term memory, perception, and judgment.  After 36-48 hours, your fatigue will be profound and you will start to have unpredictable sleep intrusions (microsleeps), emotional dysregulation, and feelings of depersonalization.  At 72 hours without any sleep, you will suffer profound symptoms.  You will lose your memory and logical thought.  You will feel psychotic, like you are losing touch with reality. 

The effects of sleep loss are only less immediate than loss of air (breathing). This is how important sleep is to your survival.  

Chronic undersleeping may be less dramatic, but the cumulative effects will prevent you from truly thriving.   And if you have chronic sleep loss related to sleep apnea (lack of air, a breathing problem!), you are experiencing interference in two of your fundamental physiological needs.  Without being fully treated, you are not able to thrive.