If you feel as if you’re perpetually sleep-deprived, you’re not alone. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one-third of all adults get by on as little as six hours of sleep per night. The recommended amount is seven to nine hours.
What you may not know is that not getting sufficient sleep isn’t just a matter of feeling a bit fuzzy in the morning. It can have serious implications for your health. Let’s look at some of the issues that a lack of sleep can cause.
Cognitive Function
Your brain needs sleep to function efficiently. You may recognize that you’re not mentally sharp after a sleepless night. That can affect your work, but it may also put your life in danger.
One study looked at the impact of sleeplessness on driving. It found that the effects of sleeplessness were comparable to intoxication. It impaired reaction times and increased the chances that a driver would have an accident.
Weight Gain
You probably know that obesity is an epidemic in the United States and worldwide. It’s easy to blame the problem on our unhealthy diets, but it turns out, sleep could be a factor, too.
Your sleep cycle is regulated by hormones, and not getting enough can cause a problem with other hormones, including leptin and ghrelin, two hormones that regulate hunger. When you’re overtired, you’re more likely to eat even if you’re not hungry.
Diabetes
Another disease that’s caused by a hormonal problem is diabetes. People who have this disease develop a resistance to insulin, the hormone that signals your cells to use glucose (sugar) as fuel.
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One study found a link between sleep deprivation and insulin resistance. Related issues were involved as well, including sleep apnea. The study concluded that problems with sleep were a risk factor for obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.
Heart Disease
Heart disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women. It’s responsible for fully one-quarter of all deaths in the United States.
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A review of 15 studies into the link between heart disease and sleep deprivation found that three sleep-related issues correlated to a risk of heart attacks and strokes. They included difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, and non-restorative sleep.
Respiratory System
Most people take breathing for granted. We don’t think about it unless we have a cold or some other problem that makes it difficult to breathe.
Sleep deprivation has a direct impact on the way you breathe. One study looked at the impact of one sleepless night on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and found that their bodies had trouble processing carbon dioxide properly. Even people with healthy lungs are more susceptible to colds and respiratory infections when they’re sleep deprived.
Immune System
Your immune system protects your body against viruses and bacterial infections. It also plays an important role in healing when you get injured. People with a healthy immune system are less likely to get sick than those with a weak immune system.
A study published in the Open Respiratory Medical Journal found a link between sleep deprivation and a weakened immune response. People who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to get sick. Likewise, inflammation problems were common in people who failed to get sufficient sleep.
Conclusion
Being sleep-deprived is dangerous. Getting sufficient sleep is necessary for good health. Many of us stay up too late, and we disturb our sleep by keeping our cell phones by the bed. Creating and sticking to a sleep schedule can help you get on track – and reap the health benefits that come with being well-rested.
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References:
http://www.medicaldaily.com/nearly-third-americans-are-sleep-deprived-240273
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1087079207000202
http://www.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/japplphysiol.00660.2005
https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2047487317702043
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012369215428570
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3132857/
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