What sleep deprivation does to your body
Sleep (or lack of it) affects every aspect of our body. But what damage sleep loss can actually do?
Quality sleep is the best natural medicine available. It boosts your immune system, can help relieve the stress and improves overall well-being. Even though scientists cannot pinpoint an exact amount of sleep that is required (as it all depends on our individual needs), the official recommendation is between seven and eight hours a day. Let’s put across some the most common symptoms of sleep deprivation.
Depression. The 2015 America Sleep poll shows, that given time, lack of sleep and sleep disorders can contribute to the symptoms of depression; you’re also more vulnerable to stress and anxiety. Even one sleepless night can make you feel cranky and irritable the next day. We’ve all been there - every little thing that goes wrong can lead to anger and frustration. All of these can make it harder to fall asleep the next night, so you end up running round in circles.
Weight gain. The 2012 Mayo Clinic study compared the eating habits of people who slept as much as they needed to those who only had two-thirds of their required rest time for eight days; as it turned out, the sleep deprived subjects ate an extra 549 calories per day (which adds up to an extra pound a week). Lack of sleep can also make us cutback on physical activity and crave unhealthy, high-carbohydrate, and high-fat fat foods.
Lower libido. Yes, that’s right. Sleep specialists say that sleep-deprived men and women report lower libidos and less interest in sex. Quality shut-eye keeps testosterone levels high, prevents erection problems and ensures we’re not too tired for love-making.
Risk of heart diseases. Poor sleep quality is linked to heart health problems, from high blood pressure to heart attacks. Not giving your body the rest it needs can result in increased production of stress hormone (cortisol); this raise leads to your heart working harder, hence not being able to rest.
Risk of accidents and injuries. Sleep loss dumbs you down. It impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning, and problem solving. In fact, sleep deprivation was a factor in some of the biggest disasters in recent history: the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill, the 1986 nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl. Specialists say that drowsiness can be as dangerous as drink driving.
Forgetfulness. In 2009, American and French researchers determined that brain events called “sharp wave ripples�? are responsible for consolidating memory; the ripples also transfer learned information from the hippocampus to the neocortex It is thought that during sleep, the hippocampus replays the events of the day for the neocortex, where it reviews and processes memories, helping them to last for the long term.
Premature skin ageing. The body and skin are slower to recover from environmental stressors, skin’s barrier function is seriously compromised, collagen production slows significantly, and elemental skin ageing increases. What’s more, during the sleep our body releases human growth hormone, which aids in repairing your body.
