WE KNOW THAT sleep recharges out energy and that lack of sleep will affect our daily function and freshness. But these are just simple and superficial problems of lack of sleep. The cumulative effect of sleep deprivation can be devastating for our health. Some of this information will surprise you, but will explain to you some things that you may not have linked to your sleeping habits.

Increases the risk of developing cancer

Particularly breast cancer and prostate cancer. In fact, the link between lack of sleep and cancer has been investigated in such a comprehensive way that the World Health Organization defined shift work as a cause of cancer.

Weight gain

For those who try to maintain a healthy weight, lack of sleep is not recommended at all. Fatigue makes people hungrier, and people who don’t sleep enough hours tend to consume hundreds of calories more a day.

Increases the risk of infections

Studies have revealed that pro-inflammatory proteins are found in large amounts in people suffering from a lack of sleep. The tendency to inflammation is a danger in itself that can lead to many other diseases.

Depression

Lack of sleep not only affects the physical state, but also the mental state. One of the common side effects of lack of sleep is depression. The psychological distress that comes with decreased sleep is a fertile ground for various mental disorders.

Loss of control

Another psychological effect of sleep deprivation is a decline in the ability to control emotions. People who don’t have enough sleep have much difficulty to control their emotions and tend to experience more extreme moods and express them more bluntly.

Decrease in emotional intelligence

Lack of sleep is not expressed only in personal emotional damage. A person who does not get enough sleep finds difficulties to connect and read the feelings of others, including family, friends and colleagues, which may turn out to have serious consequences.

Weakening of the immune system

It is well known that when you are sick you need to rest a lot and let your immune system do its work, but the immune system’s ability is a two-way street. It means that if rest is working better to speed up the healing process, restlessness hurts its abilities and leaves our body vulnerable to disease.

Increases the risk of diabetes

Many studies have shown that lack of sleep increases the body’s resistance to insulin. The meaning of this effect is increasing many times the risk of type 2 diabetes. 9. Permanent damage to the skin

Lack of sleep causes the body to release excess amounts of the stress hormone cortisol. One of the actions of this hormone is breaking down the collagen in the skin, the protein that keeps our skin smooth and supple.

Neuronal waste

New research raised debate among researchers about the ways in which sleep promotes the removal of “neuronal debris” from the brain.

Decrease in life expectancy

The statistics on this issue is clear: people who sleep less than 6 hours a night have four times the risk of death in the next ten years than people who sleep six hours or more at night.

Damaging the efficacy of vaccines

According to a study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, lack of sleep at night may reduce the effectiveness of vaccines. The results recommend sleeping between 7 to 9 hours a night in order not to damage the efficacy of vaccines.

Heart Disease

Tension and stress caused by lack of sleep causes the body to release hormones that can cause a heart attack. In fact, people who sleep less than 6 hours a night increase their risk of death by 48% as a result of heart complications later in life.

Damage to judgmental state

Lack of sleep acts like a drug or alcohol in that sense. A state of fatigue significantly impairs self-criticism, which means that it makes us believe that everything is fine with our functioning, misleading the brain and prevents it from finding judgmental problems.

Increased blood pressure

Another risk associated with chemicals and hormones that are released in a state of lack of sleep is increased blood pressure. American study found that the risk of people suffering from sleep deprivation is to develop high blood pressure in 3.5 times greater than people who sleep enough..

Irregular heartbeat

Another problem arising from lack of sleep is irregular heartbeat. This medical problem is the result of interference in the operation of the heart or the electric transmission system and can be life threatening.

Stroke

Various studies have shown that a significant lack of sleep can cause a stroke. A study conducted in the U.S. Army for example, found that lack of sleep impairs 700 different genes responsible for complex systems in the body, and one of the dangers of this is stroke.

Weak body

Certain growth hormones are released during deep sleep. These chemicals allow the cells and tissues of the body to regenerate, increase muscle mass and strengthen the skin. Sleep deprivation will therefore affect any of these vital processes.

Bone destruction

Even the bones are being built and regenerate during sleep, so lack of sleep can cause significant damage to the bones and bone density.

Increases chronic pain

Many people suffer from chronic pain in certain parts of their body. One of the side effects of sleep deprivation is increasing this pain.

Decline in mental ability

Damage to the body’s strength as a result of lack of sleep is also expressed mentally. In other words, not only does sleep deprivation lower your ability to cope with stress, lack of sleep makes people perform poorly under stress, causes them panic, hasty and wrong decisions and even complete stillness at critical times. Of course all these cause a significant damage to creative ability.

Danger of death

In some levels lack of sleep could be more dangerous while driving than drinking small amount of alcohol. One problem in sleeplessness state is that the brain convinces your body that it ‘s okay, causing many tired drivers believe they are qualified to continue driving. Of course the results are fatal.

Memory impairment and Alzheimer’s disease

Sleep occurs in cycles. During this time occurs the process of implementing our memories in the brain. Damaging sleep cycles disrupt our short-term memory, that portion of the brain responsible for processing data and response in the immediate term, as well as the disruption of long-term memory, which is responsible for the preservation and storage of our experiences. This harms our learning ability and causes the destruction of brain cells, which can eventually lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

So the next time you think to drag a few more hours into the night, do yourself a favor and go to sleep. It will improve your quality of life in the immediate term and maintain mental and physical health in the long term. And if you suffer from insomnia and find it difficult to fall asleep, read my related articles: