A normal adult should get eight hours of quality sleep to function properly the next day. If you feel tired and longing for a chance to have a quick nap during the day, then you didn’t get quality sleep the previous night. Some sleep deprivation symptoms include not falling asleep faster or waking up much earlier than you should.
When you don’t get quality sleep, you’ll wake up tired, in a bad mood, and will be disoriented throughout the day. Poor sleep also has profound effects on your physical health. If you don’t sleep well, you risk developing medical conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
So, if you brush off that sleepless night as merely too much work and thinking, you’ll overcome with time then think again. Here is a more detailed explanation of symptoms of sleep deprivation and the effects on your health.
Lack of Sleep Leads to Weight Gain
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If you’re gaining too much weight despite maintaining an active lifestyle and eating healthy, then you’re not sleeping well. You won’t believe this, but good sleep has a direct association with weight loss.
As you sleep, the tissues in your body will repair, grow, and rebuild, which means you’ll be using all the glucose you’ve consumed throughout the day.
If you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll get hungry more often, and your appetite will hike. According to research, those who sleep less than six hours are more likely to gain weight and become obese than those who sleep seven to eight hours.
Sleep stimulates appetite and increases cravings for high-fat and high carbohydrate foods. If you want to maintain a healthy body weight, ensure you always get quality sleep.
Sleep Deprivation Causes Depression
Sleep deprivation causes symptoms of depression. According to a poll, many people diagnosed with stress, anxiety, or depression sleep less than six hours.
Insomnia has a powerful association with depression. Studies show that people with insomnia disorder are more likely to portray depression symptoms. Lack of sleep increases depression symptoms, and you’ll also find it hard to fall asleep when you’re depressed.
Sleep Causes Loss of Focus
If you don’t get enough sleep, you lose concentration and have trouble focusing on what you’re doing. Your creativity and problem-solving skills take a negative turn when you don’t rest well. If you’re feeling drowsy and driving, you’ll be a big hazard to the safety of everyone on the road.
Sleepiness will cause a slow reaction on the road, and you might end up causing accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 100,000 auto crashes happen due to fatigue. Poor quality sleep can also cause accidents and injuries at work.
If you get enough sleep at night, you wake up energetic and ready to face the day. Your brain and mind function well, and you’re able to concentrate on what you’re doing. This also means you’ll do your job well and increase your productivity.
Sleep Deprivation Symptoms on the Immune System
The immune system does a great job of producing protective substances such as antibodies. The antibodies protect the body from foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria that can cause infections. For the immune system to produce these infection-fighting substances, you have to be deep asleep.
The immune system also produces cytokines when you sleep. These substances protect your body from infections and help you sleep better.
When you can’t fall asleep, your immune system will not work as it should. As a result, your body will not be able to protect itself from invaders, and you may not recover easily from an illness.
If the sleep deprivation symptoms persist, you’ll suffer the risk of more severe physical health conditions. You risk developing heart attack, diabetes, Mellitus, and other diseases.
Sleep Deprivation Effects on the Central Nervous System
If you don’t get enough sleep, you will suffer memory loss. The central nervous system is like the information highway of your body. Sleep disorders such as insomnia and apnea have close links to your inability to remember past events.
Wondering what is sleep apnea and its link to memory? Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder that causes breathing to stop involuntary while you sleep. It may cause frequent waking up at night and gasping for air.
Sleep apnea and other disorders leave the brain exhausted and enable to help you to remember information. You’ll find it hard to concentrate in class or recall the things you just learned. The symptoms also affect the mental well-being and your emotional state leading to mood swings.
Sleep Deprivation Symptoms Affect Your Sex Life
Both men and women experience low sex drive if they don’t sleep well. Fatigue, sleepiness, and tension lead to lower libido and lack of interest in sex. Experts say that sex drive starts from the brain, and if you’re experiencing mental issues due to poor sleep, then your sex drive also suffers.
Men who have sleep apnea experience respiratory problems that also interfere with their sex drive. Studies also suggest that sleep apnea can also cause low testosterone levels. A drop in testosterone levels lowers libido even more, and if this is not treated, it may lead to infertility.
Those who get quality sleep have increased sex drive. This is because the sexual function is linked to the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS reacts to various stimulators that play a vital role in sexual arousal. So, to improve sex drive, it’s good to have a fully rested sleep.
Take Control of Your Sleep Health Now
Sleep deprivation can take a toll on both your mental and physical health. It will affect your school performance due to the inability to retain information and affect your productivity at work due to poor focus. Sleep deprivation can also take a toll on your physical health by exposing you to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
Are you concerned about your sleep deprivation symptoms? Talk to your healthcare provider or try online sleep therapy before things get out of hand.
Read our other articles for more vital tips on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
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