Does sleep deprivation make you dumber?

[sserafim]

I've been sleep deprived for a while now and I think that I've gotten dumber. My memory has gotten worse and I feel tired all the time. I feel drained to the point where my eyes and head hurt, sometimes the rest of my body too, and it's hard for me to function or even think unless I have a lot of caffeine. Does sleep deprivation have any long-term effects, like neurologically? Is there any way to reverse these effects? I think my IQ has probably decreased by a couple of points due to this

 

[KillingPain267]

Not for me. In fact, I can't sleep properly because my mind is always thinking, debating, analyzing things. And I hate it. It's like I wanna tell my brain: " Stop fucking thinking and chill out for a bit!" But I actually hope I get dumber over time. Ignorance is bliss.

 

[DeIetedUser4739]

Too much caffeine?

 

[sserafim]

Not for me. In fact, I can't sleep properly because my mind is always thinking, debating, analyzing things. And I hate it. It's like I wanna tell my brain: " Stop fucking thinking and chill out for a bit!" But I actually hope I get dumber over time. Ignorance is bliss.

My short term memory has gotten pretty bad to the point where my sister said that it was bad. It might also be due to damage from ADHD meds, but I'm clinically diagnosed with ADHD so I don't think that Adderall damaged my brain. Maybe my dosage was too high?

 

[KillingPain267]

My short term memory has gotten pretty bad to the point where my sister said that it was bad. It might also be due to damage from ADHD meds, but I'm clinically diagnosed with ADHD so I don't think that Adderall damaged my brain. Maybe my dosage was too high?

Yeah, then you have other confounding factors which may or may not contribute to memory loss. I don't have much knowledge about ADHD or its medications.

 

[Unknown User]

Just sleepmax jfl

 

[sserafim]

Just sleepmax jfl

I have insomnia and other sleeping issues

 

[Unknown User]

I have insomnia and other sleeping issues

Have you ever been to the doctor?
idk if you smoke/take drugs
but what helped for me was lowering my cortisol level and stop taking drugs or smoking

 

[sserafim]

Have you ever been to the doctor?
idk if you smoke/take drugs
but what helped for me was lowering my cortisol level and stop taking drugs or smoking

I don't smoke or take drugs

 

[JenX]

I've been sleep deprived for a while now and I think that I've gotten dumber. My memory has gotten worse and I feel tired all the time. I feel drained to the point where my eyes and head hurt, sometimes the rest of my body too, and it's hard for me to function or even think unless I have a lot of caffeine. Does sleep deprivation have any long-term effects, like neurologically? Is there any way to reverse these effects? I think my IQ has probably decreased by a couple of points due to this

Lack of sleep definitely causes a drop in IQ, along with a gazillion other problems. Including feeling depressed… Getting sunlight in your eyeball during the day helps create vitamin D2 which helps for sleep. As long as you're getting saturated fat in your diet. All hormones are made from fats… including melatonin. Not good to take this as a supplement but very good when your body makes it from cholesterol/D2. Our bodies are amazing if we feed it the right stuff… Also magnesium. It's estimated more than 80% of people at least in the US are deficient because our food supply and the crappy way Americans eat. lol. Anyways you want to eat whole foods and try to limit processed food. Exercise helps of course..

When the reality of my financial situation finally hit, I had trouble sleeping and taking magnesium really really helps. I take magnesium lysinate glycinate. Inexpensive, get on Amazon. Doesn't make you have loose bowels. That's always a plus. Valerian root also helps you fall asleep, it's an herb. Very safe.

Try not to drink coffee after 5 PM. If you must, put a couple L-theanines in it. This is a protein amino acid that can chill you out on its own… It will nullify the caffeine.

* I can't believe I forgot blue light. It is so bad to be exposed to your TV screens pcs and phones within an hour before you want to fall asleep. We're pretty programmed to do that now though so it's pretty hard to step away… You can get $5 blue blocking Glasses on Amazon. Work like a charm.

 

[JKFleck]

For me absolutely yes, not only that, but I'm also so sensitive that if I go a night with 6 or less hours (from my usual 8.5 hours of sleep) the next day I'd be so fatigue and nauseous there was even that one time I threw up at school the day after studying too hard

 

[enduringwinter]

My ex and myself suffered through long periods without sleep, no long term effects in our cases, and definitely not memory issues. It did made me see hallucinations after a while though.

I guess it might depend on which part of the brain is not getting regenerated through sleep.

 

[cowboypants]

I've been sleep deprived for a while now and I think that I've gotten dumber. My memory has gotten worse and I feel tired all the time. I feel drained to the point where my eyes and head hurt, sometimes the rest of my body too, and it's hard for me to function or even think unless I have a lot of caffeine. Does sleep deprivation have any long-term effects, like neurologically? Is there any way to reverse these effects? I think my IQ has probably decreased by a couple of points due to this

Lack of sleep impairs the mind and even body. I have read somewhere like it's being drunk on a low level, makes you slow and stuff

 

[EvisceratedJester]

Yes, sleep deprivation can have long-term effects. It can lead to memory problems, weight gain, increased risk of certain chronic health problems such as heart disease and kidney disease, increased risk of depression and other mental health problems, increased risk of injury, loss of productivity, etc. I don't know much about its potential impact on IQ. This article talks about the relationship between cognitive performance and sleep.

Spoiler: Some excerpts from it

Astill et al. [21] reviewed 86 studies with a combined N > 35000 addressing the correlation between sleep measures and cognitive performance in school-age children. The meta-analytic correlation between sleep duration and cognitive performance was 0.08, and between sleep efficiency and cognitive performance it was 0.12. Effect sizes were smaller for specific cognitive domains (such as memory and attention tests) and larger for scholastic and IQ tests, suggesting a correlation between sleep measures and g itself. The modality of sleep measurement had moderate effects on the association with cognitive performance.

The other was a study of over 10 000 adults who filled out the Cambridge Brain Sciences cognitive battery and reported their average sleep duration on a website [23•]. Both studies found lower cognitive test scores among those sleeping either less or more than the average.

At least one large longitudinal study [22] found a relationship between optimal sleep duration at baseline and better cognitive performance at the follow-up, suggesting causal effects of sleep on cognition. A large meta-analysis of older participants [24] also revealed nonlinear effects (lower cognitive performance at both sleep duration extremes) which persisted in longitudinal designs.

However, the evidence is inconclusive whether sleep deprivation effects also apply to traditional IQ tests [34, 35, 36].

I didn't read the whole thing though, just to let you know.

 

[lamargue]

i think the importance of sleep underlines the importance of remedial intervals in whatever you are doing, whether that be exercise, study, etc., though sleep is obviously rooted in a much deeper biological function. proper intervals accord with the needs of the body

but cognitive decline as a result of sleep deprivation differs for many people. for me nutrition and periods of the day play a larger role in my brain fog. for instance, even if i have stayed up for a very long time, i may only get symptoms of brain fog during very specific intervals of the day. the mornings where i had previously stayed up all night are typically very clear to me. in any case, it doesn't usually result in a permanent decrease in your cognitive power (unless you have been awake for a very, very long time). the quickest paregoric would be just to modify your own sleep schedule

 

[Josh007]

It can increase the risk of diseases. From the studies I've heard it causes virtually irreversible damage on the brain. You can reverse some of that damage by making up for lack of sleep within a week. However you lose problem solving ability which can't really be recovered. Sleep allows the brain to stay sharp by resting. When you don't sleep you interrupt that process.

 

[alltoomuch2]

I think if youre sleep deprived for a short time it has a temporary effect but long term it can do permanent damage. However memory can be affected by lots of things. My short term memory is really bad (can't remember most of what happened or what I felt or did even an hour later) and I was told it is because I'm functioning on the amygdala - the fight or flight part of the brain, and not using the thinking part of the brain.

 

[BackToLobby]

I have this since 2020 lockdown and I'm way dumber that I was before in terms of memory, simple maths, focus or even having a normal conversation

 

[Old Friend]

I find depression affects short term memory. When I'm really bad, I can't remember what I did barely a minute ago.