Sleep is essential for your health and well-being. It allows your body to rejuvenate and continue to function optimally. Sadly, most people lack adequate sleep and suffer from the effects of sleep deprivation. For a more comfortable sleep, you need the right kind of bed. For instance, if you’re a hot sleeper, a cool-sleeping mattress would be ideal. It will ensure a more comfortable sleep, and this prevents many health issues.
What causes a lack of sleep?
Getting inadequate sleep can eventually lead to various health complications. Sleep deprivation is caused by a reduced inability to sleep and other underlying sleep disorders. But what causes a lack of sleep? There are various causes of sleeplessness. Illnesses and medications can cause insomnia. Things like stress, anxiety, and worry are also to blame. What’s more? When your lifestyle becomes too busy, you become unlikely to exercise and end up with excess energy. The inactivity can result in insomnia and sleep deprivation.
What are the consequences of sleep deprivation
If you turn and toss the entire night, you wake up feeling cranky and exhausted. However, sleeping fewer hours in a day results in many other health complications than you can imagine. These are;
1. Impaired mental health
There are numerous effects of sleep deprivation on the brain. Lack of sleep can cause increased stress levels, which affects your mood. People suffering from sleep deprivation are highly likely to have anxiety than those who sleep adequately. Besides, lack of sleep affects the brain function and regulation of emotions. Sleep deprivation and anxiety are intertwined, and you’re likely to suffer from mood disturbances and negative thoughts if you don’t sleep well.
2. Weight gain
Excess weight and obesity are a significant problem worldwide. Lack of sleep can affect your body’s endocannabinoid (eCB) system. It boosts your appetite and craving for unhealthy foods and snacks. Lack of sleep significantly affects your body; these are leptin and ghrelin, which manage the feelings of hunger and fullness in your body.
If you don’t sleep well, you’re likely to overheat, which translates into weight gain. According to a study conducted on healthy adults, participants who didn’t sleep well had higher eCB levels than those who got peaceful and uninterrupted sleep.
3. Physical inactivity
Lack of sleep boosts your appetite and craving for snacks, which are a significant culprit in weight gain. It can lead to reduced physical activity. It can make you too tired to exercise, resulting in weight gain due to too many calories.
4. Risk of heart disease
Lack of can increases your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. Our blood pressure should drop by a certain percentage if you sleep well, but lack of sleep hinders this, and a slight increase in blood pressure can lead to a higher risk of heart disease. Consistent patterns of sleeplessness can affect your stress hormones. It can also affect your body’s ability to control your moods, resulting in a heart attack in the long-run.
5. Lower immune system
As you sleep, your body produces disease-fighting substances such as antibodies and cytokines. These are useful in the combating of bacteria, viruses, and other disease-causing organisms. Some cytokines can help you sleep better while enhancing your body’s ability to fights illnesses. However, lack of sleep lowers the power of your immune system to defend your body from invaders. And this makes you more susceptible to infections.
6. Lack of sleep accelerates aging
Lack of sleep can cause fine lines and dark circles under your eyes. If you lack sleep, your body releases high-stress hormones known as cortisol which affects your skin’s collagen. It also leads to reduced levels f the growth hormone, which promotes growth.
Final thoughts
The best way to deal with the health effects of sleep deprivation is though getting consistent adequate sleep. But if you have lacked sleep for a long time, the adverse effects can be challenging to reverse, hence the need for sleep deprivation treatment.
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