Question: I am a young woman (24 yrs) who has a severe genetic heart condition and sleep debt is very much a reality for me. I require ten hours of sleep a night normally, twelve if I am under stress. This is significantly more than most people and sometimes they simply do not understand that it is not a choice.
My body has to go through a significant amount of work just to survive normally; I think sleep is a basic requirement for this. When I have not gotten the amount of sleep I need I have become very, very sick. I have gotten pneumonia, severe depression/anxiety, complete loss of sexual drive, auditory hallucinations.For those with genetic conditions, or just conditions which affect your health; sleep! Do not put it off, you will pay for it and nothing is worth your life. Do not risk yourself for being like “everyone else” we all have our limits, and our bodies are what they are.