“Sleep Deprivation Hormesis: The Shift That Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger”, 2020 (; similar):
Google “hormesis” + an adversary in nature, and you will see positive benefits: bitter plant toxins, extreme heat/cold, intense exercise, ethanol, hypoxia, nicotine, even ionizing radiation.4,5 Almost every stress that evolving humans inevitably encountered has a favorable effect in small doses. But one unavoidable “toxin”, encountered by most of us in the emergency department, is accused of being harmful in all cases: Sleep deprivation. …what if sleep deprivation were not always bad?
…Depression also responds to acute sleep deprivation [see et al 2017], with robust evidence that one all-nighter elevates the mood.6 Sleep deprivation may prophylax against PTSD after a fear-inducing situation.7 Sleep deprivation mitigates inflammation and ischemic insult in brain cells, protecting hippocampal neurons from damage.8 12 hours of lost sleep appears to not just protect the hippocampus, but also induces neurogenesis that persists 15–30 days later.9 Yes, sleep loss increases oxidative stress and free radical formation,10 but so do exercise, fasting, and plant polyphenols.5
Sleep researchers allow a biased hypothesis to direct research. Most protocols test individuals immediately after deprivation, neglecting measurements after adequate recovery sleep. Elite athletes immediately after a competition meet criteria for ICU admission. Lactate, creatine kinase, free radicals, electrolyte abnormalities, cortisol levels and other markers appear dangerously deranged. Similarly, subjects’ psychomotor vigilance and emotional liability after staying up all night suggest severe acute stress.
…Human subjects allowed ample recovery sleep resemble subjects who did not experience sleep deprivation, trending toward better response time and less sleepiness12. What if this paradigm were applied to shift workers? What if people who undergo small doses of sleep deprivation respond like athletes—stronger? By conducting systematic and longitudinal studies on effects of sleep deprivation and optimization of the recovery process, new studies could elucidate the complete picture of human resilience.
See Also:
“Genetically Proxied Diurnal Preference, Sleep Timing, and Risk of Major Depressive Disorder”
“The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Decision Making: A Review”
“Effects of Modafinil on Cognitive Performance and Alertness During Sleep Deprivation”
“Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Depression From an Evolutionary Perspective”