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Sleeping is one of the most significant processes through which the body gets rejuvenated. As a matter of fact, not sleeping well enough can have far-reaching consequences on your body and just like everything else, you also have to pay a price for that. Your body requires sleep just like it calls for food and air. During the sleep, the chemical balance of the body is restored, and it also heals itself. Sleep also helps your brain with memory retention and forge new connections. Naturally, without proper sleep your body and brain wont function in the normal way and your quality of life also deteriorates.
The lack of sleep can make you grumpy or foggy. But apart from that, it can also wreak havoc on your memory, looks, health, sex life and ability to sleep and much more.
Here are some of the obvious signs of sleep deprivation. Just take a look.
1. Decreased Alertness and Compromised Performance –
The long-term deprivation of sleep induces significant reductions in alertness and performance. Decreasing your sleeping hours at night by even one and half hours can reduce the alertness during daytime by over 30%.
2. Weakened Immune System –
At the time of sleeping, your immune system produces the cytokines that happen to be the substances that fight infection like the cytokines. It uses these substances for combatting against the foreign invaders like viruses and bacteria. The cytokines also assist you to sleep that gives your immune system enhanced energy for defending the body against illness. The long-term sleep deprivation also increases the risks illnesses that are chronic like heart disease and diabetes.
3. Stroke and Heart Attacks –
The sleep deficiency also increases the instances of cardiovascular issues like stroke and heart attacks. The researchers and the doctors believe that happens because the lack of sleep can disrupt the brain parts that control the circulatory system. Not only that, it also gives rise to inflammation that enhances the chance of the blood clot development.
4. Diabetes and Weight Gain –
Going for even 5 hours of sleep at night can still not be sufficient. Research has brought forth the fact that sleep restriction can disrupt the body’s method for processing glucose that cells use for fuel as well as the insulin amount produced by the body. It is for this reason that type 2 diabetes develops. Added to that, sleep deprivation also causes an enhancement in appetite and hunger. Ass a result of that, people who are sleep deprived are also more likely to be obese.
5. Aging, Depression and Anxiety –
A stress related hormone called cortisol is released when you are deprived of sleep. The skin collagen can be broken down by cortisol that can make the skin wrinkle sooner and the area around the eyes to become hollow. Again, long-term insomnia and clinical depression go hand-in-hand and are inter-related. The mood regulations and sleep cycles are generally regulated by the melatonin hormone. Developing the better sleep habits can be a treatment for those who are fighting depression. People suffering from chronic sleep deprivation also suffer from panic attacks and anxiety. Just like depression it can be difficult to guess what came first – sleep disorder or anxiety. If you are already battling MDD, you might want to consider IV ketamine treatments.
6. Hypertension –
An elevated instance of hypertension is noticed in people who get less than 5-6 hours of sleep every night. The sleep assists the body to regulate the hormones that give rise to stress. The effects of the stress in the body can be amplified by a lack of stress. The long-tern sleep deprivation is associated with increased blood pressure, inflammation and higher heart rate. All these put unrequited stress on the heart.
The above are some of the major effects of sleep deprivation on your body. Sleep deprivation can occur because of a number of reasons and snoring and sleep apnea happen to be two of the major reasons for sleep deprivation. Since now you know the grave consequences that the lack of proper sleep can lead to you should ensure that you get sufficient sleeping hours at night. For this, you should not think twice before consulting with a sleep specialist. Only then you will be able to achieve a great overall health.