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sleep deprivation

/slip dɛprɪˈveɪʃɪn/
/slip dɛprɪˈveɪʃən/
IPA guide

People who stay awake all night, especially for several nights in a row, suffer from sleep deprivation. Not getting enough rest disrupts your life, and sleep deprivation can make some health conditions worse.

Everyone needs a certain amount of sleep in order for their brains and bodies to function. When we don't get enough, we suffer from sleep deprivation. Being deprived of a good night's snooze can have various causes, including eating a lot of chocolate before bed, too much stress, or staying up all night studying (or watching videos on your phone). If it's deliberately imposed on someone, sleep deprivation is considered a form of torture that affects physical and mental health.

Definitions of sleep deprivation
  1. noun
    a form of psychological torture inflicted by depriving the victim of sleep
    see moresee less
    type of:
    torture, torturing
    the deliberate, systematic, or wanton infliction of physical or mental suffering by one or more persons in an attempt to force another person to yield information or to make a confession or for any other reason
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