In Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (2008,) John Medina, a molecular biologist at the University of Washington, emphasizes how sleep deprivation impairs both cognitive functions and physical abilities. He underscores the critical role of sleep in maintaining peak mental and physical performance.

Sleep loss means mind loss. Sleep loss cripples thinking in just about every way you can measure thinking. Sleep loss hurts attention, executive function, immediate memory, working memory, mood, quantitative skills, logical reasoning ability, and general math knowledge. Eventually, sleep loss affects manual dexterity, including fine motor control and even gross motor movements, such as the ability to walk on a treadmill.