Losing Sleep & Dehydration Will Damage Your Brain Cells

Sleep deprivation and dehydration could interfere with neurogenesis, a process of generation of neurons from neural stem cells and progenitor cells, while also killing  existing brain cells. The damages caused to the brain range from as simple as interruption in memory, learning and emotion, to cerebral edema and death.  

It is a well-known fact that losing sleep deteriorates health and wellness of an individual. Any changes in the body clock would disturb the rhythm of hormones and thereby affect the natural functions of a human body. The National Sleep Foundation recommends eight to ten hours of proper sleep at nights for a teenager, and an average of seven to nine hours of sleep for adults of all age groups.

Brain requires sufficient time to move through several sleep stages and start over again for the next day. Sleep is also when memories get consolidated and stored appropriately, and when energy levels get replenished, reports the Medical Daily.

Locus coeruleus, the neurons in the region of the brain that produce energy, are destroyed because of extensive sleep deprivation reports Dr. Sigrid Veasey, an associate medical professor at the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania, reports the Medical Daily. Researchers from the University of Oxford report that cortical shrinkage could be observed in people who suffered sleep deprivation and the condition is predominant in people aged 60 and above, said the Medical Daily.   

Water is the elixir of life since body needs water for all vital activities. About 75 per cent of the brain is made of water; severe dehydration could cause seizures, brain damage and death in some cases. Dehydration is common in people and is taken care of when symptoms like thirst or dry and sticky mouth are felt.  Interestingly, drinking alcohol doesn't cause damage to the brain but the dehydration caused due to alcohol consumption does the job.

The hormone vasopressin responsible for retaining water in the body is suppressed by alcohol leading to increased output of urine on consumption of beer, vodka and kind. The cells in the body rupture on their effort to pull water into the cells in the case of severe dehydration and eventually cause cerebral edema, the swelling of the brain, reports the Medical Daily.

Insufficient water in the body cause electrolyte imbalance leading to miscommunication of neurons and could result in seizures. Brain strains hard to function properly in spite of such odds in turn causes it to shrink, says the Medical daily. Smoking, stress and drugs like cocaine are other important factors that cause damage to the brain cells.