A lot of people tend to stay up late either working or partying. From college students to call-center agents, from club goers to bar hoppers – many of these people usually down a bunch of espresso shots or energy drinks and they’re good to go.
But make no mistake, sleep deprivation is dangerous.
The human body requires six to eight hours of sleep in order to rest properly.
A lack of sleep might affect your appearance, weight, memory, health, and even your sex life!
Remember to rest and check out these ten dangerous side effects of not getting enough sleep:
1) Accidents
You’ve heard this in news reports before, about taxi or jeepney drivers that have accidents because they dozed off. That’s true, sleep deprivation increases the likelihood of accidents.
Being drowsy can reduce the body’s reaction time as much as driving drunk. Research shows that both sleep loss and poor-quality sleep have lead to accidents and injuries on the job.
One study reveals that workers with excessive daytime sleepiness have noticeably more work-related accidents, particularly repeated work accidents.
According to research, sleep deprivation was a factor in some of the worst disasters in recent history such as: the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, the 1986 nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl and the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill.
2) It reduces your intelligence
Need a better grade to pass your finals? Then you should get the proper amount of rest!
Sleep plays a critical part in thinking and the mind’s ability to retain knowledge. Sleep deprivation severely slows down these cognitive processes such as impairing alertness, attention, concentration, reasoning, and problem solving.
This means it’s more difficult for people with a lack of sleep to learn the following day.
3) Health problems
Besides a slowed reaction and inability to remember details, a lack of sleep can seriously affect your health.
Heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes are just some of the health issues sleep deprivation causes .
According to estimates, 90{88c35fc59d12a25b71e6504d7161f08c0e07bfe41b19c35c5bedd5b69128fb63} of people with insomnia also have another health condition. Insomina is a sleep disorder characterized by trouble falling and staying asleep.
4) Lower sex drive/libido
Sleep specialists say that sleep-deprived people report lower libido and are less interested in sex. This may be blamed largely on depleted energy, sleepiness, and increased tension.
5) It’ll make you age more
A few long night without sleep might cause people to experience puffy eyes or sallow skin. However chronic sleep loss might lead to more obvious issues on your skin – such as fine line, lackluster skin and dark circles under your eyes.
6) Memory loss
Related to the issues of being accident prone and forgetful of details, memory loss is another clear sign of sleep deprivation.
In 2009, a team of American and French researchers observed that brain activity called “sharp wave ripples” were responsible for storing memory. These ripples also transfer learned information from the hippocampus to the neocortex, where long-term memory is stored.
These sharp wave ripples mostly occur during deep sleep.
7) Depression
In a 2005 poll by Sleep in America, it was discovered people who were diagnosed with depression or anxiety likely to slept less than six hours every night.
It’s believed that sleep disorders or a general lack of sleep can contribute to the symptoms of depression.
8) Weight gain
You’re definitely need to sleep those eight hours if you’re thinking of slimming down.
A lack of sleep has been linked to an increase in the body’s appetite and hunger. Those who stay up late tend to eat more during those late hours. This can lead to weight gain and possible obesity. A study in 2004 found that people who sleep less than the minimum 6 hours were 30{88c35fc59d12a25b71e6504d7161f08c0e07bfe41b19c35c5bedd5b69128fb63} more likely to be overweight or obese than those who slept the 7-8 hours.
9) Impairs judgment
People with sleep deprivation are especially prone to executing poor judgment. In this modern age, being able to function with less sleep is seen as a strength. Sleep specialists state that if you truly believe you’re fully functional even with less sleep – then you’re delusional.
In jobs were important decisions rest upon you, sometimes it can be a benefit to simply “sleep on it”.
10) Death
British researchers of the “Whitehall II Study” observed over a span of two decades how sleep patterns affected the mortality of more than 10,000 British civil servants. The published results came out in 2007 and the results were startling.
Those who had cut their sleep from seven to five hours or less every night had nearly doubled their likeliness of death from all causes. The risk of death from cardiovascular diseases was especially doubled.
What are you waiting for? Put that phone or tablet down and get some sleep!
Share what you think of this health article in the comments section!
Via TNP
