Sleep deprivation 'is bad for the mind'

Not sleeping enough affects your brain functions, a study has found.

An academic study has found that a lack of sleep is bad for the brain.

Research at the Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Nashville found that lack of sleep can affect not only a person's mood, but also their ability to perform basic functions.

Dr Kimberley Hutchinson, one of the team of sleep researchers, said: "You get a very irritable, depressed feeling when you are not getting enough sleep, and you may also find you cannot concentrate."

The study used a MRI scanner to track the brain activity of participants who were kept awake for 24 hours.

It found that reaction times were also negatively affected by lack of sleep and additional areas of the brain have to be used to keep a person functioning at near-normal levels.

In September, it was reported that US scientists had found there may be a link between sleep deprivation and early onset Alzheimer's Disease.