Lack of sleep is not annoying, but it may even cause serious health concerns. It can make you grumpy and slow down the functioning of your body. If you are interested in learning more about the surprising ways sleep deprivation can affect you, read the article!
Sleepiness can lead to accidents:
Lack of sleep has been associated with high-end disasters like the Chornobyl nuclear meltdown. Besides, sleepiness is also a safety hazard that results in road and work accidents. Moreover, not resting well disrupts your body’s functioning and slows the working of your mind as drinking would.
- Sleeplessness affects your skin:
You may have noticed swollen skin and puffy eyes when you lose one night’s sleep. But, if you continuously miss your quality rest for a few nights, you may develop lacklustre skin, dark circles, and fine lines. It happens because sleep loss causes your body to release the stress hormone known as cortisol. When it is secreted in excess amounts, the hormone breaks down skin collagen that keeps the skin smooth and elastic.
2. Sleep loss slows cognitive processes:
Lack of sleep is bad for your mind and body. It is so because proper rest plays a vital role in thinking and learning. If you fail to sleep, your cognitive functioning gets affected in many ways. Your attention span lessens, concentration powers diminish, alertness reduces, and reasoning and power-solving skills take a hit.
3. Lack of sleep leads to forgetfulness:
Resting for at least seven to eight hours every night is essential for sharp memory. Studies suggest that brain events called ‘sharp wave ripples’ help consolidate the memory bank. During the process, learned information from the hippocampus is transferred to the neocortex of the brain, the space where long-term memories are stored.
4. Sleeplessness causes health issues:
A chronic sleep disorder that prevents you from resting well night after night can have serious health consequences. They can develop issues like heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, heart failure, and irregular heartbeat.
5. Lack of sleep affects sex drive:
Experts suggest that people who can’t sleep properly, whether male or female, report lower libidos. They lose interest in sex because of depleted energy, increased tension, and sleepiness. Men with sleep apnea report less likeliness to have sex because of low testosterone levels.
6. Poor sleep causes depression:
If you fail to rest well, you may develop symptoms of depression. Experts suggest that the chances of developing a mental disorder increase if you have insomnia. In a study conducted in 2007, it was revealed that insomniacs were five times more likely to develop depression than those who don’t have this problem. Both these conditions are interlinked and feed on each other.
7. Lack of rest leads to weight gain:
Not sleeping is bad for your weight because lack of rest is associated with increased hunger and appetite. If you do not rest ghrelin hormone that stimulates hunger is released in high quantities. Besides, leptin signals satiety to the brain is secreted less. It leads to obesity.
So, these are a few surprising effects of lack of sleep on your body.