Not Getting Enough Sleep

It is a common affair to ignore bedtime. A late night here and there is not a real matter of concern, but when you start skimping on sleep night after night, it becomes a real problem.

Sleep is essential and lack of it can lead to sleep deprivation, which can affect both your physical and mental health. Over time, it can lead to chronic health problems and negatively impact your quality of life.

You need sleep as much as you need to breathe and eat. The amount of sleep that a person needs varies from one person to another.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults should get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night to feel alert and well rested.

However, this duration is contingent on genetic and physiological factors. Age, sex and sleeping patterns are also important factors that need to be considered.

If you regularly run short on sleep because of a busy family life, work load or other factors, it’s important to adjust your schedule to allow for adequate sleep and prevent the negative effects of sleep deprivation.

Affects Your Memory and Brain

When you have a sleepless night, there is a high chance that you’ll have difficulty with concentration and focus the next day. Proper sleep is essential for cognitive health and it plays an important role in thinking and learning.

Lack of sleep can impair attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning and problem solving. This in turn affects your learning capacity. It can also negatively impact both your short- and long-term memory.

A 2007 study published in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment highlights that sleep deprivation has a direct impact on cognitive performance. It leads to poor attention and weak working memory, along with a range of other cognitive problems.

For your brain to function properly, be sure to get enough shut-eye.

Weakens Your Immunity

Sleep deprivation can also affect your immune system, which is designed to protect you from infections like the common cold, the flu and other ailments.

When the immune system is not functioning properly, your body becomes susceptible to attacks by virus and bacteria and you have to deal with more sick days.

When you sleep, your immune system releases proteins called cytokines and other infection-fighting antibodies that protect your body against an infection or inflammation.

Sleep deprivation leads to reduced production of cytokines, which in turn reduces your body’s ability to respond to colds or bacterial infections.

A 2012 study published in Sleep reports that granulocyte levels and diurnal rhythmicity are directly affected by acute sleep deprivation. These changes mirror the body’s immediate immune response upon exposure to stress.

As lack of sleep may make you more prone to catching colds and the flu, it’s important to take steps to help you enjoy proper sleep.

Causes Depression

Sleep deprivation is frequently linked to depression. It leads to significant alterations in brain neurotransmitter functioning, which is one of the reasons behind depression. At times, depression can also impact a person’s ability to fall asleep.

People diagnosed with depression are more likely to sleep less than 6 hours at night. In fact, insomnia is often one of the first symptoms of depression.

In a 2009 study published in the International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 97 percent of 531 patients with depression reported experiencing insomnia, one of the most common sleep-related problems.

A 2008 study published in Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience reports that subjective and objective sleep disturbance in depression is prevalent, distressing and often unresolved by treatment.

If you are suffering from depression, and having trouble sleeping well, be sure to talk with your doctor about it. It may actually be contributing to your condition.

Disclaimer: The information on this POST is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional advice. The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this article is for general information purposes / educational purposes only, and to ensue discussion or debate.

Thank you … A regular sleep routine helps you maintain a regular appetite and hunger schedule. When you sleep less than what your body needs, there is an increase in the production of the hormone ghrelin. This hormone stimulates hunger and reduces the production of leptin, which suppresses appetite.

Thus, sleep deprivation can affect appetite control and energy metabolism, in turn contributing to significant weight gain.

A 2004 study published in PLoS Medicine shows that short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin, elevated ghrelin and increased body mass index.

If you do not control your appetite and enjoy much-needed sleep, it can lead to obesity over time. Obesity in itself increases the risk of several diseases.

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Redness, puffiness, dark circles, and bags -- all signs that you’re not getting enough shut-eye. The sleep-deprived tend to get more wrinkles, lines, swelling, and droopiness, studies show. Why? It may be that your body misses out on the hormone control and tissue repair that happens in deep sleep stages.

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Irritability is a big sign of poor sleep. One study limited people to 4 1/2 hours of sleep a night for a week. The result: More stressed, angry, and mentally exhausted people. They felt better when they returned to their normal schedules.

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Even a little less sleep -- losing just 2 hours if you usually snooze 8 hours a night -- can make you groggy and affect concentration and memory. This may make you less skilled at work -- or worse, behind the wheel of your car. More than one-third of people admit dozing off while driving…..Narcolepsy.

Waking up with a sore throat, dry mouth, or headache could point to a medical reason you’re sleeping poorly -- sleep apnea, snoring, or acid reflux, for example. If you notice symptoms over and over, talk to your doctor. She can figure out if medication or other treatment would help you.

SLEEP DISORDERS LAB WILL TEST YOU!