It is common knowledge that we need to sleep to be our best. And constant sleep loss has serious effects, including death.

Sleep is a neurological activity, and still, sleep-deprived creatures suffer serious malfunction in other parts of the body, outside the nervous system. Chronic sleep deprivation can result in heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.

Sleep, according to deep research on flies, has a function of reversing the ancient biochemical process of oxidation. Without sleep, there is no restoration possible.

Sleep studies prove it is worse than starvation, as early studies (19th century) conducted on puppies showed that they died in about five days if deprived of sleep and kept in motion.

... or ROS is a molecule that builds up in the intestines of animals that are denied sleep.

• Studies conducted on fruit flies and mice showed rising levels of ROS when kept in sleep deprivation.

• Antioxidants, when given to sleep-deprived flies, made them healthy and active again, proving that the artificial restoration is possible.

Researchers have found that sleep deprivation is not just about the mind, or the nervous system, but affects our gut, blood composition and other parts of the body which seem unrelated to sleep.