Lack of sleep is known to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes, hypertension, and overall mortality. However, new discoveries show that a lack of sleep also impairs our basic social conscience, making us withdraw our desire and willingness to help other people.
In one portion of the new study, the scientists showed that charitable giving in the week after the beginning of daylight saving time, when residents of most states “spring forward” and lose one hour of their day, dropped by 10 percent—a decrease not seen in states that do not change their clocks or when states return to standard time in the fall.
