Dangers Of Sleep Deprivation
Dangers Of Sleep Deprivation
Lack of sleep is no smaller matter, the dangers of sleep deprivation affects all aspects of our life and health. When we sleep well, we feel refreshed, energized, and ready to take on the world. When we don’t, we feel fatigued, sluggish, and irritable. It affects your concentration, increases your blood pressure and has severe effects on your body and mind.
What is the ideal number of sleeping hours an adult needs? Anything between seven to nine hours sleep every night in order to perform at their best. Adequate sleep restores us physically, mentally, and emotionally.
The amount of sleep each individual needs depends on their genetics, enabling some individuals to function with less sleep then others. The problem with sleep deprivation is that it affects our brain, struggling with memory, learning, planning and reasoning. In addition, it affects our mood, and increasing the risk of heart disease. In a nutshell, sleep is essential to our short- and long-term health
There are seven dangerous effect of sleep deprivation:
1. Decreased judgement
Sleep deprivation impacts your memory, affects your emotional intelligence, behaviour and ability to manage stress. In short, decreases your judgement in making decisions imperative to a better, happier and productive day.
2. Mood shifts
Mental health problems are linked to sleep disorders, as sleep deprivation can play with neurotransmitters in the brain, mimicking the symptoms of depression, anxiety and mania.
3. Raised blood pressure
Poor sleep can raise blood pressure, and in the long term is associated with an increased risk of diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke. This danger is increased in people with sleep apnoea.
4. Increased accidents
In Australia sleepiness contributes to 20-30% of all deaths and severe injuries on the road.
5. Weight gain
Sleep deprivation affects the levels of hormones involved in regulating appetite and weight. Levels of leptin (the hormone that tells you how much stored fat you have) drop, and levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin rise. A restful night helps you lose weight and have a focused mind and body.
6. Delusions
Severe sleep deprivation can lead to delusions; seeing things that aren’t really there. In rare cases can lead to temporary psychosis or symptoms that resemble paranoid schizophrenia. All too scary. Lack of sleep doesn’t just make you feel tired; it can be mentally and physically dangerous.
7. Ages you
A recent beauty study released from BensonsforBeds, shows that lack of sleep has a dramatic effect on your appearance. It is recommended we have seven to eight hours sleep per night, but most of us are getting less hours.
