What are the side effects of sleep deprivation?

My fitness tracker shows a massive drop in my heart rate variability (HRV) whenever I sleep less than six hours. You also experience slower muscle recovery and reduced workout performance. Tracking your sleep cycles can really show you the physical damage of sleep deprivation.

Whenever I don't sleep well, my hunger hormones go totally crazy and I crave nothing but sweet chai, samosas, and biscuits all day! Sleep deprivation literally ruins your metabolism and makes you overeat. Getting a good night's rest is the best diet control.

Right now, my main side effect of sleep deprivation is trying to unlock my front door with my car keys. Your brain literally turns into mush, you forget basic words, and you walk around looking like an extra from a horror movie. Please go sleep!

Staying up all night for exams just makes me feel like a zombie the next day. I can't focus on lectures, my head constantly aches, and I keep zoning out. Seriously, pullers of all-nighters are just wasting their energy.

I used to panic so much when my chest would feel tight and my heart raced after a sleepless night, thinking it was a heart attack! But my doctor told me it was just high cortisol from sleep loss. Once I fixed my sleep, those symptoms disappeared completely.