Sleep Deprivation-- What Is The Impact On An Elderly, Obese Trumpanzee?

-by Helen Klein

Yesterday the Independent ran an important story that U.S. newspapers should have picked up on long ago, exploring whether Trump’s sleep deprivation impairs his diplomacy and noting that a sleep expert warns his unhealthy sleep habits-- something he frequently brags about-- "could have serious consequences."

Dr. Neil Stanley, a British sleep expert, has been involved in sleep research for 34 years. "There are plenty of flash points in the world for somebody who is not acting as empathically or diplomatically as you hoped," he explained mildly.

Trump wears his chronic sleep deprivation as a badge of honor. The [so-called] President has routinely relished in boasting he is above a proper night’s sleep.

In the most recent instance, the mogul-turned-politico declared he only gets around four or five hours of sleep a night. Speaking to Fox News interviewer Bill O’Reilly on Tuesday night, Mr. Trump said he works “long hours, right up to 12 o’clock, 1 o’clock in the morning” and then generally wakes up at 5 a.m.

But while President Trump might see this as something to be proud of, Dr. Stanley… has other ideas. On the contrary, Dr. Stanley thinks Mr. Trump’s lack of sleep could have some very serious potential consequences for America and the wider world. Unsurprisingly, he is wary of the idea of Mr. Trump making snap presidential decisions when he has only had a few snatched hours sleep here and there.

It goes without saying that getting a handful of hours of sleep per night has profound consequences on people. To put it simply, sleep deprivation has a harmful impact on functions associated with the frontal lobe of the brain, such as alertness, attention, decision-making and cognitive processes.

“We know from research in business leadership that if you are sleep deprived, your inability to focus, concentrate, make decisions and a lack of empathy can make it more likely you make rash decisions not based on all of the information and express them in an undiplomatic way,” Dr. Stanley explains.

He says being underslept is the equivalent to being over the drink driving limit. According to Dr Stanley, if you have been awake for around 16 hours, it can impair your ability more than being over the drink driving limit. While being awake for 24 hours is the equivalent of being twice over the limit.

“If you are over the drink driving limit, you probably should not be taking important decisions,” he tells The Independent. “If he is sleep deprived, he is running the country while too impaired to drive a motor vehicle.”

Dr Stanley thinks some of Mr Trump’s recent blunders are indicative of someone who is sleep-deprived-- especially those regarding international diplomacy. The two examples he cites are Mr Trump’s alleged decision to put the phone down on Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his phone call with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen in December which broke nearly four decades of US policy and upset China.

“He does seem to be an impetuous man,” he says. “He does seem to say what he thinks whereas perhaps someone who was well rested would temper his language or his way of dealing with things.”

Dr Stanley explains that whether you cut yourself chopping a cucumber or press the nuclear codes, they are both examples of your reaction to a situation being exacerbated by a lack of sleep.

“It would be better if the leader of the free world was rested and functioning at his best,” he suggests. “You would know that whatever he was doing, he was doing advisably, even if you don’t agree with it, at least you know he’s not making mistakes. We would all rest easily.”

There's also a chance that Trump has "a good sleeper gene." In his 2004 book Think Like a Billionaire, he wrote: "Don’t sleep any more than you have to, I usually sleep about four hours per night" and be said basically the same thing at a campaign event in Springfield, Illinois in November 2015: "I’m not a big sleeper. I like three hours, four hours, I toss, I turn, I beep-de-beep, I want to find out what’s going on." That would explain the deranged and obsessive tweeting-- replete with rage and misspelling-- between midnight and dawn. One or two percent of the population needs less than 8 hours of sleep per night and Trump could be one of those. Or maybe it's the severe Adderall addiction. Stanley worries that sleep deficit has a fundamental impact on emotions. "Research on couples," he explained, "has shown you’re more liable to have an argument and you’re less likely to make up afterwards. You show less empathy." Sounds like anyone you know?

Sleep deprivation is the condition of not having enough sleep. Individuals vary in their need for sleep. It is suggested that adults 65 and older receive 7-8 hours sleep. Some signs of sleep deprivation can be:

• Increased impulsivity-- fewer behavioral inhibitions
• Decreased performance and alertness
• Impaired memory-- sleep helps clear toxic chemicals from the brain
• Trouble with decision-making-- such as reaction speed, absorbing information, higher level cognitive processing and problem solving

• Reduced motor skills-- such as tripping or being klutzy; less focus on body movements and where you are going; alot of processing goes on when you walk up and down the stairs
• Less control over emotions-- over-reactive to emotional stimuli
• Stress in relationships-- moodiness, conflicts
• Less quality of life-- less ability to participate in activities requiring sustained attention
• Less healthy looking skin-- hormonal balance affected
• Trouble seeing-- eye fatigue; eyes do not work as well together; difficulty reading
• Tendency to get sick-- lowered immune system
• Hunger-- your brain may try to get the energy it needs from sleep from food

• Weight gain-- your metabolism may slow down without enough sleep
• Risk of health factors-- such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression
• Drowsy while driving
• Occupational hazards

"Occupational hazards," considering his occupation (and temperament) is probably the scariest of all-- at least for the rest of us.