In a fast-paced life, sleep is a luxury. After all, with its help it becomes possible to replenish lost energy after exhausting everyday life. But the opposite effect has also been recorded, in which more time is devoted to working capacity. A series of such actions influences the development of undesirable consequences due to lack of sleep.
Most people are not able to form the correct sleep pattern on their own. A common consequence of such disorders in men is excessive workload with no rest. In women, similar conditions are manifested by mental disorders, emotional background. In this case, it is important to identify the cause in time to avoid possible consequences lack of sleep.
Features of lack of sleep
Lack of sleep can negatively impact a person's health. Women are more susceptible to this. However, characteristic manifestations can cause discomfort in males, and it is much more difficult to choose treatment, because sleep deprivation is difficult to diagnose.
Male
It is not difficult to identify the presence of negative effects in women, because the reason often lies in psychological and physiological disorders. It is not so easy to detect lack of sleep in men, because... this can be influenced by external and internal factors.
As a result, a list of common causes of insomnia has been compiled, which include:
- Change in relationship status. The ongoing processes greatly puzzle men for the reason that adjustments should be made to their lifestyle. Celebrations such as marriage, the birth of a baby, or a child moving out of the parental home are handled equally. In this regard, it is worth starting preparations for the upcoming changes in advance in order to reduce the impact on the emotional background.
- Profitable deals in financial and creative terms are a motivating factor for anxiety, which causes insomnia. Many males feel responsible for their actions. That is why frequent thoughts on this matter begin to appear in the evening. In this way, a person tries to avoid defeat.
- Addictions. These include: smoking in the recreation area, drinking alcohol before bed, consuming caffeine in large quantities. All this can lead to stimulation of the nervous system. However, it will take a little longer for relaxation to occur. It is especially dangerous to play computer games at night because the brain is overloaded. A possible outcome is a disruption of sleep patterns, through which good mood all day.
- External factors. Some men prefer to sleep with music on, the lights on, or the curtains open. Severe fatigue can accelerate reaction inhibition. Ultimately, these activities will lead to awakenings in the middle of the night or early in the morning. However, it is almost impossible to focus on rest after this.
Also, the consequences of lack of sleep for men can be certain diseases accompanied by daily or chaotic pain. They mainly occur in the evening. To solve the problem, you should make an appointment with a doctor. Based on the examination results, treatment will be prescribed.
Female
In view of numerous studies, we can say that women of any age category are much more susceptible to lack of sleep than men. This is explained by their tendency to stressful situations and depression.
Lack of sleep has some differences between the sexes. After all, for men this is due to the inability to find ways to solve the situation. Women experience such manifestations most deeply, experiencing positive and negative moments that happen to them or their immediate environment.
In such cases, the brain and nervous system are under tension, which makes it impossible to re-adjust to sleep and proper rest.
The main reasons causing lack of sleep include:
- the body's exposure to stressful situations;
- duration of controversial issues;
- ending relationships with the opposite sex;
- matchmaking and preparatory activities before marriage;
- the process of bearing and giving birth to a baby;
- moving to another city or looking for a new job;
- storage of secret information;
- death of close associates.
The inability to get rid of worries even in the evening can lead to nightmares, which are regular. This will continue until proper measures are taken against lack of sleep. A psychologist, a special program or yoga classes can promote a speedy recovery. Traditional medicine is used less frequently.
12 Psychological Consequences of Lack of Sleep
Poor sleep provokes complications in the body and leads to pathological disorders. Negative consequences from lack of sleep can occur in any system of the body. It starts from thought processes and memory, ends with the development of neurological and psychological disorders.
Poor performance
Due to the characteristic changes observed with insufficient sleep, fertility often deteriorates. Most of the reasons are related to each other, so the presence of any of them gives rise to problems in other organs. However, it is possible to improve the condition, but before doing so you should consult a specialist.
Poor concentration and slow reaction times
Many felt the influence of sleep on various processes occurring in the body. If you are constantly lacking sleep, it becomes difficult to adequately perceive incoming information. In addition, it is impossible to focus on the goal. This indicates a violation of concentration, which is why people commit many unauthorized actions. At the same time, it is not possible to find a solution even for simple problems.
A dangerous outcome occurs when there is chronic form diseases. As a result, road accidents often occur, with deaths not uncommon. Persons belonging to the young population - under 25 years of age - are more susceptible to this than others.
Risk of depression
Constant sleep disturbance leads to depression. Mostly, anxiety and depression occur in people who sleep little - no more than 5 hours a day. In addition, sleepless nights increase the risk of developing the disease by 5 times, and is also one of its first symptoms. With a lack of sleep, the disease worsens, which affects the quality of sleep - it worsens.
Risk of anxiety disorder
There is a severe form of the disease - these are serious anxiety disorders. In this case, the symptoms manifest themselves as panic attacks and nightmares. Outbreaks must be monitored and treated to prevent relapses.
Irritability
If dreams are superficial, then irritability is possible. Associated symptoms is weakness and fatigue. But other symptoms may also occur.
Irritation arises for any reason. This can adversely affect the patient's psyche. It’s easy to prevent this: the main thing is to follow a sleep and rest schedule, and if there is a disease, use medications. The progression of the disease must not be allowed, otherwise it will be almost impossible to recover.
Depression, depressed mood
Daily lack of sleep can harm the nervous system, as a result people are more aggressive and irritable. Teenagers suffer from this to a greater extent, since their psyche is shaken.
When there is a lack of rest, some changes are observed in the brain. Positive thinking deteriorates and associations of negativity increase. All this causes enormous harm to emotional condition, because of which symptoms appear that encourage depression and suicide. In view of the study of the problem of lack of sleep, in the presence of a chronic form of insomnia, disturbances in psychological processes increase 4 times.
Drunk
General health worsens if you don't get enough sleep. In addition, staying alert for a long time is equivalent to being intoxicated. Drowsiness resembles alcohol intoxication. The signs are somewhat similar: concentration is reduced, actions are inhibited, and thinking is weakened.
Emotional instability
Lack of sleep creates a consequence - an increased feeling of anxiety and fear. This assumption was scientifically substantiated. In addition, a mental breakdown is possible. Only the right decision in this case, it means proper rest and healthy sleep. In the future: if possible, follow the regime, but if this does not work, then set aside at least 7 hours for sleep.
Mental disorder
According to the results of repeated studies, people who spend less time sleeping are more susceptible to developing hallucinations. Such consequences are observed much more often, because the rate increases 4 times compared to the general population who does not suffer from this.
Important! If sleepless nights are prolonged, the patient may have thoughts of suicide. Hallucinations from lack of sleep are to blame for this.
Memory losses
During sleep, the cerebral cortex processes information accumulated during the day. Depending on the phase, different processing processes are observed that make up memories. However, a systematic failure of rest and sleep makes some adjustments, causing memory lapses.
Clumsiness
Lack of sleep can distort reality and also lull certain reflexes. This is why most people can act awkwardly.
Decreased libido, impotence
A man or woman equally experiences a lack of adequate rest, which is a consequence of decreased sexual activity and interest in sexual intercourse. The consequences of lack of sleep are expressed in severe exhaustion, due to which it is not possible to perform any actions. Also, for males, this is fraught with a decrease in testosterone, which has some effect on desire. This often leads to the development of pathology - impotence.
18 Physiological and Pathological Consequences of Lack of Sleep
Quality rest and sleep is a necessity, without which it is impossible to maintain the vital functions of the whole organism. In addition, the body and brain center need it more. But in modern world Humanity is not getting the required amount of sleep.
When there is excessive workload, when people try with all their might to do more than the intended goal, the missing time is taken away from sleep. At the same time, no more than 5 hours are left for rest during the whole day. The set mode is the norm. However, few realize that the body is working hard.
All this can destroy a person from the inside. That is why serious consequences become common: psychological disorders, hallucinosis, vision problems.
Premature aging, decreased life expectancy
Before disrupting your daily routine, it is worth remembering that there may be a serious consequence: the likelihood of dying at a young age increases. At the same time, lack of proper rest is harmful to health. This is often accompanied by disturbances in the functioning of organs and systems. The heart and brain suffer the most.
Constant sleepiness
Disruption of sleep patterns leads to disastrous consequences. At the same time, the lack of proper rest is accompanied for some time characteristic features: drowsiness, yawning.
Visual impairment
Spending less than the required time on quality sleep and rest, a person feels strain on the eyes. This proposition has been suggested by scientists who have conducted research countless times. In this case, ischemic neuropathy may develop.
If you have such a diagnosis, problems with nutrition arise optic nerve, which provokes the appearance of glaucoma. But if there is a hearing impairment, then the situation gets worse, so vision often disappears completely. If you observe similar symptoms in your relatives or yourself, you should seek help from a doctor. Normalizing sleep will prevent possible disturbances and negative consequences.
Deterioration in performance
In the absence of sleep for a long time, it is possible to observe certain consequences: inhibition and slower reactions, which leads to deterioration in performance. In this case, there is often a headache and weakness.
Change your appearance
Lack of proper rest causes aging skin. If there has been no sleep for quite a long time, the elasticity of the epidermis weakens. This is explained by the fact that due to chronic fatigue, a person experiences tension, and this is responsible for the production of cortisol. Excessive amounts of it contribute to the destruction of protein, which ensures a healthy appearance of the skin.
Excess weight
Every 3 girls eat their problems. Unhealthy food in large quantities causes excess weight. This is also affected by poor sleep: any age is susceptible to obesity with a 73% probability.
Similar effects are observed due to hormones. The feeling of hunger is controlled by ghrelin and leptin. The first controls the need for reinforcement, and the second reduces appetite, so satiety is felt.
Important! Severe fatigue increases ghrelin but decreases leptin. If you experience stress, then the opposite is true.
Bone damage
The idea that sleep deprivation is caused by insufficient rest has not been fully studied. However, studies conducted on rats gave it its existence. Scientists have discovered irregularities in bone tissue while awake for 2 days.
Important! The claim of sleep deprivation can hit the bones not only in rodents, but also in the human race.
Overweight or obesity
The consequences of lack of sleep for women and men include overweight and obesity. At the same time, many thought that it was impossible to dial while awake overweight because we are in motion. But that's not true.
When there is a lack of quality sleep, an imbalance of hormones is observed in the body - the content of ghrelin increases. Its accumulation is fraught with incessant hunger strike; constant food consumption is required. It's not easy to get rid of this feeling. The combination of two concepts (ghrelin and cortisol) promotes weight gain. This often results in death.
If you do not act or seek help late, your health may worsen. It can manifest itself with certain symptoms: the heart begins to ache and lower limbs(especially when walking), dizziness is often observed, and diabetes develops.
The occurrence of cancerous tumors
Chronic lack of sleep can develop cancer. This is facilitated by hormonal imbalance. If you get little sleep, less melanin is produced. But this only harms the body, since this substance can prevent tumor growth.
Hypertension
There is growing evidence that insufficient sleep contributes to the development of diabetes. This manifests itself in an abrupt pressure value and deterioration general condition health.
Important! In sick people, non-compliance with sleep patterns leads to serious complications.
Risk of heart attack
Chronic lack of sleep can lead to heart attack or stroke. However, in the presence of such problems, the risk of developing disorders with the cardiac system increases 5 times.
Cardiovascular diseases
The problem with sleep is the main one this moment. Due to the progression of sleep and rest disorders, the manifestation of diseases is possible, incl. cardiovascular. The rating of violations due to lack of sleep pushes this situation almost to the first line. Because it develops from a chronic form.
Common consequences of lack of sleep:
- Strong painful sensations in the head area. Associated with changing weather conditions.
- Heart rhythm disturbance.
- Heart attack or stroke.
- Hypertension.
- Reduced blood sugar levels.
- Partial or complete paralysis of limbs, due to which people can die.
Any changes occurring in the body require qualified assistance. The main thing is to understand the essence of the problem and start treatment on time.
The possibility of developing the disease increases 3 times if you do not follow a sleep schedule or suffer from insomnia. Medical and law enforcement workers are more susceptible to this.
Nausea
IN in some cases Insomnia or lack of sleep may cause undesirable consequences, the list of which includes nausea.
Constant pain
The ability to think normally and perceive the surrounding reality is undermined because it is observed intracranial pressure on the brain. In this case, there arise severe pain and discomfort. That is why the inability to rationally assess the situation affects decision-making.
Decreased body temperature
Lack of rest disrupts metabolic processes, as a result, this is reflected in body temperature - it decreases noticeably. In such a situation, a person begins to freeze.
Weakening of the immune system
Lack of sleep affects the immune system. All due to a decrease in the content of cytokines that support its protection. Therefore, with daily lack of sleep, the likelihood of viruses and bacteria entering inside increases.
The importance of maintaining a sleep schedule
Following an established sleep and wakefulness schedule is vital, since a person’s well-being depends on it.
Important! It doesn't matter what day of the week. In any case, quality sleep speeds up metabolic processes, so compliance with it will ensure the normal functioning of organs and systems.
For clarity, you can compare photos of a healthy and sleep-deprived person. The first one is fixed fresh look skin, activity and high performance prevail. The second person with sleep deprivation appearance indicates a lack of full and healthy sleep. This manifests itself in black circles and bags under the eyes, redness of the whites of the organs of vision and slow reaction.
According to statistics, a person spends a third of his life sleeping. However, this is not at all a reason to consider a night’s rest a luxury and idleness. Adequate sleep is not a whim, but the most important component healthy image life, because our body and brain vitally need regular restoration.
The benefits of night rest lie in the ability to replenish energy reserves, normalize the functioning of the nervous system and strengthen the immune system, and in this regard, sleep is a powerful prevention of the most various diseases. During sleep, a person recovers more quickly from illness, his wounds and burns heal faster, and the brain begins to think better analytically, finding answers to problems that could not be solved during the day.
Unfortunately, modern man doesn't get enough sleep. In conditions of constant employment, when all thoughts are aimed at achieving results and trying to make the most of the available time, a person takes away the time he lacks from sleep, accustoming himself to sleep 4-5 hours a day. And this rhythm of life seems quite normal to him. But few people realize that in the rhythm of daily lack of sleep, the body works with all its might, which can lead to the development of many serious diseases. Moreover, not considering chronic lack of sleep as a problem, a person gets used to dealing with increased fatigue and daytime sleepiness with a cup of coffee or strong tea, without even thinking about going to the doctor and without trying to understand the causes of the existing ailment.
If this situation drags on for months and years, lack of sleep becomes a huge problem for a person, leading to the development serious illnesses, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus and even cancerous tumors. To see this, take a look at the consequences this condition leads to.
10 Horrible Consequences of Chronic Sleep Deprivation
1. Memory loss
During sleep, the brain processes and systematizes the information received during the day, storing it in short-term memory. Moreover, depending on the phase of sleep, different information processing processes occur, translating it into memories. If a person does not get enough sleep, these processes are disrupted, resulting in memory problems.
2. Impaired concentration and slow reaction
Each of us has experienced the relationship between memory and sleep. It is incredibly difficult for a person who has not had enough sleep to analyze the necessary information, since he cannot focus and concentrate on the question. And this already indicates a violation of concentration, without which a person often makes mistakes and is unable to solve even simple ones. logic problems. But what’s even more dangerous is that chronic lack of sleep significantly slows down the body’s response. And this leads to an increase in the number of emergency situations on the roads and accidents at work. Moreover, as statistics show, accidents due to lack of sleep are most typical for people under 25 years of age, who consider sleeping 5 hours a day the norm.
3. Visual impairment due to constant lack of sleep
By neglecting proper sleep, a person experiences constant overstrain, which invariably affects vision. This conclusion was reached by Japanese scientists who conducted a series of experiments and found that regular lack of sleep can cause ischemic optic neuropathy. It's heavy vascular disease disrupts the nutrition of the optic nerve, as a result of which a person develops glaucoma, which can subsequently cause complete loss of vision. Thus, when you notice the first signs of visual impairment, the first step is to normalize your sleep to prevent the condition from worsening.
4. Depressed mood
With constant lack of sleep, the nervous system is seriously depleted, and therefore it is not surprising that a person who does not get enough sleep is often irritated and aggressive. This problem is especially relevant for adolescents, whose psyche is extremely vulnerable during puberty. When there is a lack of sleep, noticeable changes occur in the brains of young people. In areas responsible for positive thinking, activity decreases, and in areas regulating negative associations, on the contrary, it increases. All this leads to pessimism and an emotionally depressed state, from which it is very close to depression and suicidal thoughts. By the way, statistics confirm that people with chronic sleep deprivation mental disorders observed 4 times more often.
5. Excess weight
Many will be surprised, but overweight and obesity are associated with lack of sleep. It would seem that everything is the other way around - if we sleep less, we move more and burn fat faster. In fact, in the absence good sleep The balance of hormones in the body is disrupted, in particular, the synthesis of ghrelin, the so-called “hunger hormone,” increases. When it accumulates in the body, a person experiences constant feeling hunger, which is not at all easy to eliminate. When an excess of the hormone cortisol is added to excess ghrelin, a person begins to “eat up” his problems and invariably gains weight. If you do not understand the causes of this condition in a timely manner, you can become obese, which will jeopardize the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, and significantly increase the risk of diabetes.
6. Decreased libido
This information should be of interest to sexually active men and women. It turns out that chronic lack of sleep, accompanied by a lack of energy and overexertion, has the most negative effect on libido. Back in 2002, French doctors noted that sleeping less than 6 hours a day, as well as interrupted sleep in people suffering from sleep apnea, leads to a decrease in testosterone levels in the blood, which is manifested by a gradually weakening sexual desire.
7. Premature aging
You can spend fabulous sums on cosmetical tools and procedures to prevent early aging, but without proper sleep, all attempts to prolong youth are simply useless. With a lack of rest, the body experiences chronic stress, increasing the synthesis of cortisol in the body. This hormone provokes increased secretion of sebum, which causes early skin aging. Based on this, remember that if you sleep 8 hours a day, cortisol levels decrease and return to normal, giving epidermal cells time to regenerate. Scientists also say that lack of sleep affects the aging of the body. According to studies, signs of aging in women aged 35–50 who sleep no more than 5 hours a day appear 2 times faster.
8. Increase in the number of diseases
A person who sleeps no more than 5 hours a day greatly weakens his immunity. Scientists from the University of Massachusetts have found that with a lack of night rest in the body, the number of cytokines - protein compounds responsible for the strength of the immune system - sharply decreases. Thus, if we regularly lack sleep, our body becomes powerless against pathogenic agents and is susceptible to infectious diseases. However, this is not the worst thing. To date, it has been proven that chronic sleep deficiency increases the likelihood of developing arterial hypertension and tachycardia by 7 times, heart failure, heart attack and stroke by 5 times, and diabetes mellitus by 3 times. All this suggests that chronic lack of sleep is a “silent killer” that destroys our body from the inside!
9. The occurrence of cancerous tumors
What could be more dangerous? It turns out that chronic lack of sleep can result in the development of cancer. The point again is in hormones, in particular, in the hormone melatonin, the production of which is disrupted with insufficient night rest. But this substance has antioxidant properties, thanks to which it suppresses the occurrence of malignant tumors in organism. Thus, lack of sleep deprives us of important protection, and increases the likelihood of cancer.
10. Shortened life expectancy
Finally, after lengthy research, scientists came to the conclusion that sleeping less than 7 hours a day reduces life expectancy by almost 10 years, while increasing mortality from all causes by 2 times! And if, in parallel with chronic lack of sleep, you constantly overeat, smoke and are exposed to numerous stresses, the result will be completely disastrous.
It is obvious that chronic lack of sleep is a serious problem, which, without correcting your rest and sleep patterns, can cause irreparable damage to both physical and mental health. What can be done to prevent this from happening?
How to normalize sleep
Here are a few simple tips that will help solve the problem of lack of sleep.
1. Understand the detrimental effects of lack of sleep, because otherwise all the other tips simply won’t work.
2. Choose a suitable bedtime that allows you to spend at least 7 hours a day in bed, and strictly adhere to this guideline.
3. During your lunch break or upon returning home after work, try to avoid long naps (no more than 30 minutes), since in this case you simply will not be able to fall asleep at the appointed time.
4. Try not to overeat before bed, because in this case you risk tossing and turning in bed for a long time, trying to fall asleep.
5. Avoid coffee, strong tea and other tonic drinks that will interfere with relaxation and sleep. If you find it difficult to drink such drinks, then it is better to drink them in the first half of the day.
6. In the last hours before bed, try to avoid excessive physical activity, which will also interfere with falling asleep.
7. Make sure that your bedroom is conducive to sleep, that it is soundproofed, has heavy curtains to create twilight, and that there is no TV, computer or other objects that interfere with rest. The temperature in the bedroom should be no more than 20 degrees, ideally from 16 to 19.
8. Provide fresh air access to the sleeping area; to do this, you need to ventilate the bedroom for at least 15 minutes. It's better to sleep with the window slightly open.
9. A walk in the evening before bed promotes relaxation and will bring calm, saturate the body with oxygen, which also helps you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. Working out at the gym cannot replace an evening walk.
10. Before going to bed, take a warm bath, preferably with the addition of soothing herbs, and then drink a cup of tea with chamomile or mint, because these herbs perfectly relax and soothe, preparing the body for sleep.
Sweet dreams!
Heart disease, diabetes... Sometimes we look for the cause of health problems in the wrong place. While the condition of our body directly depends on the quality and quantity of rest.
Most people need seven to eight hours of sleep per night. But there are those who can sleep less and feel great. However, mental alertness and the absence of headaches are far from the only indicators of getting enough sleep. The fact is that some people are more resistant to sleep deprivation than others. They feel good and look the same, but at the level of deep metabolic processes, everything is not so great. If you do not normalize your sleep, a number of problems will arise, including problems such as headaches and even early death, are quite real.
Late eating of chips and cookies happens not only because it is a tasty and easy snack. The fault may be imbalance of two appetite hormones , which makes itself felt after the first night of lack of sleep.
When levels of a "feel good" hormone called leptin decrease, the appetite it controls increases. The amount of the “bad” hormone, ghrelin, increases. It is produced by fat cells and signals the body to consume more fat and calories. Therefore, the higher the level of ghrelin, the more you want to eat.
But hormones and lack of sleep are not the only cause of obesity. When people don't get enough sleep, they don't have the strength to cope with basic health problems, plus they overeat - this also leads to excess weight.
In a recent study published in the journal Sleep, researchers found that teenagers who slept less than eight hours a night ate many times more fatty, high-calorie foods than carbohydrate-rich foods. Therefore, scientists insist: high school students should sleep about nine hours at night. Young children need about 10-15 hours of sleep (depending on age) per day. Another study found that kids who regularly stay awake more than expected are especially at risk of becoming overweight in their youth.
2. Heart diseases
In people who constantly feel sleepy, increased levels of stress hormones . Which is very harmful to the heart. Rising levels of stress hormones can lead to damaged blood vessels and high blood pressure, resulting in heart disease. Lack of sleep can not only lead to problems with blood pressure, but also cause cardiovascular disease.
If a person suffers from hypertension, lack of sleep can make the condition worse. The fact is that due to the lack of proper rest, the nervous system is activated, which increases hypertension.
Men need to be especially careful. Their risk of heart disease and stroke due to lack of sleep is many times higher than that of women.
3. Diabetes
In 2007, scientists from the University of Chicago found that loss of adequate sleep increases the risk of obesity and diabetes. After just one sleepless night, the body decreased ability to absorb glucose . If we add to this factor imbalance of appetite hormones - leptin and ghrelin , the likelihood of diabetes is obvious.
The link between lack of sleep and diabetes is controversial because the disease may be associated with obesity, which in turn is caused by lack of adequate rest.
There is no absolute proof yet of a link between headaches and insufficient sleep. But at the same time, there is no reason to deny that poor sleep affects your well-being.
Scientists have noticed a direct link between lack of sleep and depression. Probability bad mood, loss of energy and interest in life are as much as 24% higher among those who go to bed after midnight. The authors of the study - scientists from Columbia University in New York - associate this with human circadian rhythms . Staying up late disrupts a person's internal clock. It is difficult for the body to fight sleep if, according to all the rules, schedules and regimes, it should already be resting. And vice versa.
6. Inattention and slow reaction
Lack of sleep causes depression of all types of neurological functions . Students who choose to stay awake at night perform worse academically. Workers who skimp on sleep are more likely to be hot-tempered and irritable. Driving while half asleep often results in a fatal accident. Statistics show that driving while lacking sleep is akin to drinking and driving. and the reaction of a sleepy person is the same as after taking three or four servings of medium-strength alcoholic drinks.
7. Death
Thus, according to scientists, people who regularly neglect proper sleep are 12% more likely to die in the next 25 years than those who sleep six to eight hours a night every day. This connection is especially obvious for men who suffer apnea syndrome - sudden stop of breathing .
At the same time, those who spend more than 9 hours in bed also risk their lives.
Time for bed
All these consequences do not make themselves felt immediately - several years of systematic neglect of proper sleep may pass. But inhibited reactions, inattention, headaches and depression appear as soon as you don’t get enough sleep.
But what about people who are able to sleep no more than five hours and amaze everyone around them with their efficiency? There are such people, according to statistics they are only 5% of total number population of the Earth.
The best way Finding out how much sleep you personally need is taking a vacation. Leave everything and go to bed as soon as you feel sleepy. And start doing things when you realize that you have had enough sleep. If during the day you did not feel drowsy and were productive, then you have found your sleep norm.
How many hours of sleep does the average person need to truly rest? The number of hours ranges from 6 to 8 per day - this time should be quite enough for a person to be able to continue working without harm to his health. But if you are constantly lacking sleep, this is fraught with serious consequences, ranging from mild neurosis and the risk of extra centimeters on the waist, and ending with more serious problems - heart disease and increased risk develop diabetes.
Unpleasant symptoms may appear after the first night of lack of sleep. What else can cause bad sleep? The Huffington Post decided to look into this in more detail.
Some brilliant people sleep was practically unnecessary, and they did not suffer without it. For example, Leonardo da Vinci only needed 1.5-2 hours of sleep a day, Nikola Tesla - 2-3 hours, Napoleon Bonaparte slept at intervals for a total of about 4 hours. You can consider yourself a genius as much as you like and believe that if you sleep 4 hours a day, you will have time to do much more, but your body may not agree with you, and after several days of torment it will begin to sabotage your work, whether you want it, or not.
Infographics
What happens to the body after one day of lack of sleep
You start to overeat. So, if you have had little or poor sleep at least one night, you will feel hungrier than after a standard sleep. Studies have shown that lack of sleep provokes appetite, as well as the choice of higher-calorie, high-carbohydrate, and not entirely healthy foods.
Attention deteriorates. Due to drowsiness, your alertness and reaction deteriorate, and this, in turn, can lead to accidents on the road or at work (if you work with your hands or are a doctor or driver, which is even worse). If you sleep 6 hours or less, your risk of road accidents increases threefold.
Appearance deteriorates. Dark circles under the eyes after a bad sleep are not the best best decoration. Sleep is not only good for your brain, but also for your appearance. A small study in the journal SLEEP published last year found that people who sleep less seem less attractive. And research conducted in Sweden also showed a link between rapid skin aging and lack of adequate sleep.
The risk of catching colds increases. Getting adequate sleep is one of the building blocks immune system. A study conducted at Carnegie Mellon University found that sleeping less than 7 hours a day increases your risk of getting sick by three times. Moreover, Mayo Clinic experts explain that during sleep, the body produces special proteins - cytokines. Some of them help support sound sleep, and some need to be increased to protect the body when you have an infection or inflammation, or when you are stressed. As a result of lack of sleep, the production of these protective cytokines decreases and you get sick longer.
You risk getting microdamage to the brain. A recent small study conducted with fifteen men and published in the same journal SLEEP showed that even after one night of sleep deprivation, the brain loses some of its tissue. This can be detected by measuring the levels of two molecules in the blood, which when elevated usually signal that the brain has been damaged.
Of course, this is just a small study conducted on fifteen men - not that big of a sample. But how can you be sure that this will not affect you?
You become more emotional. And not in better side. According to a 2007 study from Harvard and Berkeley medical schools, if you don't get enough sleep, the emotional areas of the brain become more than 60% reactive, meaning you become more emotional, irritable and explosive. The fact is that without enough sleep, our brain switches to more primitive forms of activity and is not able to properly manage emotions.
You may have problems with memory and concentration. In addition to problems with attention, there are problems with memory and concentration. It becomes difficult for you to concentrate on completing assigned tasks, and your memory also deteriorates, since sleep is involved in the process of memory consolidation. So, if you don't sleep enough, memorizing new material will become more and more difficult for you (depending on how bad your situation is).
What happens to your body if you don't sleep enough in the long term?
Let's say you have an exam or an urgent project and you just need to reduce your sleep to a minimum in order to get everything done. This is acceptable in short periods, just try not to drive and warn everyone in advance that you are very tired and may react a little inadequately, emotionally. After passing an exam or finishing a project, you will rest, get some sleep, and get back into shape again.
But if your job means that your standard sleep time of 7-8 hours has decreased to 4-5, you need to seriously think about changing either your approach to work or the work itself, since the consequences of a constant lack of sleep are much more sad. than simple nervousness or dark circles under the eyes. The longer you maintain this unhealthy regimen, the higher the price your body will pay for it.
The risk of stroke increases. Research published in the journal SLEEP in 2012 found that sleep deprivation (less than 6 hours of sleep) for older adults increases the risk of stroke by 4 times.
The risk of becoming obese increases. Simply overeating due to lack of sleep for a day or two is nothing compared to what can happen to you if constant lack of sleep becomes your default routine. As mentioned in the previous section, lack of sleep provokes an increase in appetite and, of course, leads to constant night snacking. All this together transforms into extra pounds.
The likelihood of developing certain types of cancer increases. Of course, it won't appear simply because you don't sleep enough. But poor sleep can trigger the appearance of precancerous lesions. Thus, as a result of a study conducted among 1240 participants (a colonoscopy was performed), those who slept less than 6 hours a day increased by 50% the risk of developing a colorectal adenoma, which over time can turn into a malignant formation.
The likelihood of developing diabetes mellitus increases. A 2013 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that getting too little (and too much!) sleep was associated with an increased risk of many chronic diseases, including diabetes. This is due to the fact that lack of sleep, on the one hand, leads to the risk of obesity, and on the other hand, insulin sensitivity decreases.
The risk of heart disease increases. Harvard Health Publications reports that chronic sleep deprivation is associated with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart failure and heart attack. Research conducted in 2011 at Warwick Medical School found that if you sleep less than 6 hours a night and sleep disturbances, you get a “bonus” in the form of a 48% increased chance of dying from heart disease and a 15% increased chance of dying from heart disease. stroke. Staying up late or into the morning for a long period is a ticking time bomb!
The number of sperm decreases. This point applies to those who still want to experience the happiness of fatherhood, but are putting it off for now because they are busy accumulating an inheritance. In 2013, a study was conducted in Denmark among 953 young men, during which it was found that men with sleep disorders had a sperm concentration in semen that was 29% lower than those who slept the standard 7-8 hours a day.
The risk of premature death increases. The study, which assessed 1,741 men and women over 10 to 14 years, found that men who slept less than 6 hours a night increased their chances of dying prematurely.
All this was data obtained during research. But, as we know, in our contradictory world, research data can be completely opposite. Today we can read that new magic pills will save us from all diseases, and tomorrow an article may appear stating that other studies have shown completely opposite results.
You may or may not believe in the long-term benefits of chronic sleep deprivation, but you can't deny the fact that if you don't get enough sleep, you become irritable and inattentive, have trouble remembering information, and even dread looking in the mirror. Therefore, let's spare ourselves and sleep at least 6 hours a day for ourselves, our loved ones, at least in the short term.
Sleep is the only thing the Gods send for free.
Ancient Greek proverb
If sleep is health, then what is it? lack of sleep? At a minimum, this is a provocation of the body and a test of its “strength”. Maybe you shouldn't "experiment"?
Sleep and lack of sleep
The life of each of us is very individual, including in relation to sleep. There are, for example, well-known examples of celebrities: Victor Hugo and Winston Churchill slept no more than 5 hours at night, but Albert Einstein needed more than 10 hours of sleep every night. Experts say that most people need regular dream at 7-8 hours, but they also emphasize that there is a small percentage of people (about 5%) whose body requires longer sleep - at least 9-10 hours.
Throughout life, sleep time also undergoes changes. As a rule, after birth the baby sleeps 16-18 hours a day, at 3-5 years old a child needs 10-12 hours of sleep, at 10 years old - about 10 hours, when growing up (about 16 years old) - already 7-8 hours enough. People of advanced age often, according to their feelings, reduce the “dose” of sleep to 6-7 hours. According to the observation of psychologists, this is associated not only with changes in brain tissue, but also with a decrease in emotional contacts, and therefore a decrease in the need for rest in solitude and sleep after them.
Sleep is a unique means for restoring the physical and mental strength of the body. Negative effects can be found not only when sleep hours are reduced, but also when they are not observed correctly. The body, in order to recover, has its own nightly work schedule, for which you need to prepare (that is, set a bedtime) to provide it with full conditions. For example, according to experts, maximum production of melatonin (it protects us from premature aging, stress, strengthens the body to resist colds and oncological diseases) falls between 0.00 and 4.00 am. And this is not the only necessary period. By shifting the schedule from the “dark” period of the day, it is impossible to achieve the same recovery effect for the body.
Intentional (a person consciously chooses to increase waking hours or work night shifts);
Unintentional (insomnia as a result of stress, medications, illnesses, first motherhood, etc.).
The effect of lack of sleep on the body
Among the consequences of lack of sleep, experts note general fatigue, impaired mental activity (decreased ability to concentrate), decreased visual activity and reactions in general. For example, there is evidence that reducing the period of sleep by half can reduce the reaction rate by 45%. With prolonged lack of sleep, hallucinations, memory loss, and detachment from reality may occur.
It is believed that even having less than 6 hours of sleep over several days will lead to a degree of mental decline equal to that which can occur after 2 nights of absolute wakefulness.
Some experts believe that there are gender differences in the effects of lack of sleep on the body. For example, scientists from North Carolina concluded that women are more susceptible to negative consequences from lack of sleep than men. Among the dire consequences, they identified the occurrence of depression, psychological and cardiovascular diseases. Particular attention was paid to the harmful effects of interrupted sleep. According to them, it affects the increase in the level of fibrinogen protein, which is responsible for blood clotting, which, if not functioning properly, can lead to the development of diabetes.
Women should especially pay attention to the fact that lack of sleep and a slim figure are absolutely incompatible. The mechanism of the relationship is very simple: without receiving the required rest and energy, the body will begin to make up for the lack of energy replenishment through food, and there is no way around overeating and increasing calorie consumption. Try monitoring your appetite after a full night's sleep and after a night with reduced rest.
Hypertension is another possible result of lack of sleep. Scientists at the University of Chicago conducted a study which found that reducing sleep by 1 hour over 5 years increases the risk of hypertension by 37%.
Doctors warn that lack of sleep in children (often due to the fault of parents) can have the same consequences as in adults: depression, obesity, hypertension, etc.
Psychologists warn that with too long a period of sleep deprivation, in addition to physical illnesses, the development of serious mental illness, which will be a consequence of the insufficiency of inhibition processes, which is what sleep is for the brain.
The road to adequate sleep
Before moving on to listing the “helpers” of sufficient sleep, it is necessary to understand the sleep cycle and its phases.
Experts distinguish 5 stages of sleep:
The first stage is the stage of drowsiness with incoherent visual images, spontaneous muscle contractions, a feeling of falling, etc.
The second stage is characterized by a slight decrease in body temperature, equalization of breathing, and disappearance of visual images. Scientists emphasize that the first and second stages are characterized by the consciousness falling asleep, while the subconscious is still awake (with seething emotions in people with anxious nervous system). Deeper sleep occurs in the following periods.
The third and fourth stages - they are called the stages of restorative sleep, relaxing; deep absorption makes it difficult to awaken at these stages, disorientation appears; in the negative accompanying these stages, childhood enuresis is possible)
The stage of paradoxical sleep (an active stage for our body with the emergence of vivid dreams, increased pressure, heat transfer; some scientists attribute the possibility of information integration to this phase).
According to the results of research published in the book of psychotherapist A. Kurpatov “10 recipes good night", 55% of sleep occurs in stages 1 and 2, 20% belongs to the stage of paradoxical sleep, and only 25% is allocated to the stages that allow us to sleep - the third and fourth.
Experts note that for a complete feeling of comfort, it is necessary for the body to comply with the structure of sleep (especially the recovery phases) and their duration (so that the duration of the recovery phases does not decrease).
Create comfortable conditions for sleep - ventilate the room a little, dim the lights and other devices, it is possible to use special aromatic products or aroma pads with a detailed study of their effects;
If possible, do not use your sleeping place during the day for purposes other than sleep and intimate life;
If you do not fall asleep for a long time, get out of bed and engage in quiet activities;
Try to never delay falling asleep until 0.00; it is advised to go to bed no later than 22.00-23.00.
Lack of sleep and disrupted sleep patterns mean ruined days and ruined your health. Take care of yourself, the most important basics of the rhythm of life, and your opportunities will only increase. Have a good and pleasant sleep!
Natalya Mazhirina
Center "ABC for Parents"
