Lack of Sleep Imposes Other Health Risks
Not only can getting too little sleep leave you groggy in the mornings, it can also lead to a multitude of repercussions when it comes to the overall health of an individual. Most people need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night. Any less, and not only does your alertness and ability to deal with the things life throws at you begin to wain – but in some cases, so does your health. The following conditions are serious health risks which could be caused by lack of sleep:
Delayed Reaction Time & Lapse in Attention: The less sleep a person gets, the worse that person functions. Especially when it comes to things like reaction time and attentiveness. Getting a proper amount of sleep is hugely important for drivers – just like drinking and driving don’t mix, driving with less than optimal hours of sleep is also dangerous.
Obesity: Not getting enough sleep can cause an imbalance in two different appetite hormones. The first of the two is leptin, which is a good hormone that controls appetite. After a lack of sleep, the leptin levels decline which increase the appetite. The second, is gherkin – a hormone produced by fat cells that indicates a need for fat calories. As that level rises, the hunger and need for those types of calories increases. – In short, it’s no accident that the food your body starts to crave is less than healthy!
Diabetes: Sleep deprivation tends to impair the body when it comes to processing glucose. This, in conjunction with the altered levels of appetite hormones: leptin and gherkin is known to lead to the development of diabetes.
Heart Disease: Those that tend to not get enough sleep on a nightly basis, are more than likely choosing to due to their demanding work schedule or lifestyle. That being said, those types of individuals more than likely have an abundance of stress hormones in their bodies – which can damage blood vessels and lead to high blood pressure and heart disease. This is especially true for men, whether they’re intentionally lacking sleep or they are affected by a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea.
Headaches: In individuals who are predisposed to headaches, specifically migraine sufferers – a lack of sleep can be a trigger.
Depression: Many of the brain chemicals that are involved in the sleep-wake cycle also effect a person’s mood and energy. When a person becomes sleep deprived, these chemicals become imbalanced.
Find out how to get better sleep here: 10 Tricks To Falling Asleep Quickly And Soundly
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