Why
lack of sleep is bad for your health
Many effects of a lack of sleep, such as feeling
grumpy and not working at your best, are well known. But did you know that
sleep deprivation can also have profound consequences for your physical health?
One in three Britons suffers from poor sleep, with stress, computers and
taking work home often blamed for the lack of quality slumber.
However, the cost of
all those sleepless nights is more than just bad moods and a lack of focus.
Regular poor sleep
puts you at risk of serious medical conditions including obesity, heart disease and diabetes – and it shortens your life
expectancy.
It’s now clear that a
solid night’s sleep is essential for a long and healthy life.
How much sleep do
we need?
Most of us need
around eight hours of good quality sleep a night to function properly – but
some need more and some less. What matters is that you find out how much sleep
you need and then try to achieve it.
As a general rule, if
you wake up tired and spend the day longing for a chance to have a nap, it’s
likely that you’re not getting enough sleep.
A variety of factors
can cause poor sleep, including health conditions such as sleep apnoea. But in most
cases it’s a matter of bad sleeping habits.
Find out the common medical causes of fatigue.
What happens if I
don't sleep?
Everyone’s experienced the fatigue, short temper and lack of focus that
often follow a poor night’s sleep.
An occasional night
without sleep makes you feel tired and irritable the next day, but it won’t
harm your health.
After several
sleepless nights, the mental effects become more serious. Your brain will fog,
making it difficult to concentrate and make decisions. You’ll start to feel
down, and may drop off during the day. Your risk of injury and accidents at
home, work and on the road increases.
Find out how to tell
if you’re too tired to drive.
If it continues, lack
of sleep can affect your overall health and make you prone to serious medical
conditions such as obesity, heart disease,high blood pressure and diabetes.
Here are seven ways
in which a good night's sleep can boost your health:
1. Sleep boosts
immunity
If you seem to catch
every cold and flu that’s going around, your bedtime could be to blame.
Prolonged lack of sleep can disrupt your immune system, so you’re less able to
fend off bugs.
2. Sleep can slim
you down
Sleeping less can
make you weigh more! Studies have shown that people who sleep less than seven
hours a day are 30% more likely to be obese than those who get nine hours of
sleep or more.
It’s believed to be
because sleep-deprived people have reduced levels of leptin, the chemical that
makes you feel full and increased levels of ghrelin, the hunger-stimulating
hormone.
3. Sleep boosts your
mental wellbeing
Given that a single
sleepless night can make you irritable and moody the following day, it’s not
surprising that chronic sleep debt may lead to long-term mood disorders like depression and anxiety.
When people with
anxiety or depression were surveyed to calculate their sleeping habits, it
turned out that most of them slept for less than six hours a night.
4. Sleep prevents
diabetes
Studies have
suggested that people who usually sleep less than five hours a night have an
increased risk of having or developing diabetes.
It seems that missing
out on deep sleep may lead to type 2 diabetes by changing the way the body processes
glucose, the high-energy carbohydrate that cells use for fuel.
5. Sleep increases
your sex drive
Men and women who
don’t get enough quality sleep have lower libidosand less of an
interest in having sex, research shows.
Men who suffer from sleep apnoea – a disorder in which breathing
difficulties lead to interrupted sleep – also tend to have lower testosterone
levels, which can lower libido.
6. Sleep wards off heart
disease
Long-standing sleep
deprivation seems to be associated with increased heart rate, an increase in
blood pressure and higher levels of certain chemicals linked with inflammation,
which may put extra strain on your heart.
7. Sleep increases
your fertility
Difficulty conceiving
a baby has been claimed as one of the effects of sleep deprivation – in both
men and women. Apparently, regular sleep disruptions can impair fertility by reducing the secretion of
reproductive hormones.
How to catch up
on lost sleep
If you don’t get enough sleep, there’s only one way to compensate –
getting more sleep.
It won’t happen with
a single early night. If you’ve had months of restricted sleep, you’ll have
built up a significant sleep debt, so expect recovery to take several
weeks.
Starting on a
weekend, try to tack on an extra hour or two of sleep a night. The way to do
this is to go to bed when you’re tired, and allow your body to wake you in the
morning (no alarm clocks allowed!).
Expect to sleep for
upwards of 10 hours a night, at first. After a while, the amount of time you
sleep will gradually decrease to a normal level.
Don’t rely on
caffeine or energy drinks as a short term pick-me-up. They may boost your
energy and concentration temporarily, but can disrupt your sleep patterns even
further in the long term.
Read these common energy booster myths.
Read practical tips
for getting a good night’s sleep.
Read articles on ways to beat insomnia.
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