A leading neurologist has issued a stark health warning, labelling a common nightly habit as potentially "dangerous" and linking it to an increased risk of developing serious long-term conditions, including dementia.
The Immediate Dangers of Sleep Deprivation
In a recent video on TikTok, neurologist Dr Baibing Chen, known online as Dr Bing, explained the severe immediate effects of cutting sleep short. He stated that being awake for 17 hours or more reduces your reaction time, focus, and judgement to a level comparable to someone with a blood alcohol level of 0.05%.
"That's the legal limit for driving in some countries," Dr Chen emphasised. "If you're awake for longer than that, you're pretty much acting like you're drunk. You don't want that for yourself and you definitely don't want that in your doctors."
Long-Term Risks to Brain Health
The expert's warning extends far beyond next-day grogginess. Dr Chen highlighted a critical process that occurs during deep sleep: the brain's glymphatic system, a cleaning mechanism, flushes out toxins. One such toxin is a protein called beta amyloid.
"This is the same protein that builds up in Alzheimer's disease," he explained. "When you consistently cut your sleep short, those proteins can slowly accumulate, which then raise your long-term dementia risk."
Furthermore, sleep is essential for memory consolidation. New information is temporarily stored in the hippocampus but is only transferred to long-term memory during deep sleep. Without sufficient rest, the brain fails to save what was learned, leading to forgetfulness and more mistakes.
Impact on Mental Wellbeing and NHS Guidance
Chronic sleep loss also weakens communication between the brain's logic centre (the prefrontal cortex) and the area controlling emotions (the amygdala). This disruption can make individuals more anxious, irritable, and impulsive.
"We live in a society that glorifies overworking but burning out your brain isn't a sign of strength," Dr Chen remarked. "Lacking sleep isn't something to brag about - it's something that we need to fix."
The NHS provides clear guidelines on how much sleep different age groups require:
- Adults: Seven to nine hours
- Children: Nine to 13 hours
- Toddlers and babies: 12 to 17 hours
To improve sleep hygiene, the health service recommends:
- Maintaining consistent bed and wake times.
- Ensuring the bedroom is dark, quiet, and comfortable.
- Avoiding screens, caffeine, alcohol, and large meals before bed.
- Exercising regularly, but not too close to bedtime.
The NHS advises consulting a GP if changing your sleep habits hasn't helped, if sleep troubles have persisted for months, or if insomnia is affecting your daily life to the point where it's hard to cope.
