Sleep deprivation is dangerous – 10 reasons
It is known that the overall length of sleep is shorter than ever before. Here and there we hear phrases like the day is too short, 7 hours of sleep is a luxury, you can sleep when you're dead. But not everyone realizes that the insufficient duration of sleep regeneration can have very serious consequences – from mental to a variety of health problems. Here are the 10 most common consequences of inadequate sleep.
1. Cancer and hereditary diseases
Lack of rest at night disrupts normal genetic activity. Just one week with less than six hours of sleep results in about 700 genes not functioning – including those responsible for our immune system as well as regulating our stress levels. Science shows that these people are particularly susceptible to colon and breast cancer.
2. Gastrointestinal problems
But before sleep deprivation leads to colon cancer, it usually causes chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), mostly in the small or large intestine. This affects 15% of the population in the USA and thus contributes to increasing severity in secondary diseases, such as Crohn's disease. Patients with this condition are twice as likely to suffer a relapse if they fail to sleep long and deeply enough.
3. Diabetes
Sleep disorders have a major impact on our metabolism. Without sleep, we tend to eat more and unhealthier. We reach for high-calorie products, such as fatty snacks and sweets, to quickly gain energy. The risk of diabetes increases sharply when our body struggles with such chaos. The first reaction is usually insulin resistance (prediabetes) and later type
4. Heart diseases
According to a 2012 study conducted by Professor B. Faraut's team, people who sleep four or fewer hours per day have a significantly higher pulse than those who sleep seven or eight hours. Additionally, more frequent heart attacks were observed, and complaints of chest pain were recorded twice as often as in people without sleep problems. In the long term, chronic insomnia thus results in a twofold increased risk of death.
5. Reduced immunity and frequent infections
Our natural defense mechanism is already struggling with various severe microorganisms – without having to cope with chronic sleep disorders. Just one sleepless night is enough to get sick! It has been proven that people who sleep little catch colds up to three times more often compared to those who maintain an 8-hour recovery cycle. Effective sleep is the best prevention against infections and diseases related to immunity.
6. Uncontrolled weight gain
Sleep deprivation affects our metabolism and leads to diabetes. Hormonal imbalances can easily lead to obesity because our appetite increases. Insufficient sleep duration disrupts the secretion of ghrelin and leptin, increases appetite, and interrupts the feeling of satiety. As a result, we eat more and move less. The problem begins with less than six hours of sleep per day.
7. Low libido
Professors at the University of Chicago have found that testosterone levels in men drop significantly when they sleep less than five hours a day. After a week of insufficient sleep, hormone levels drop by as much as 15%! The men surveyed also complained of discomfort and declining mood. No wonder they felt little or no desire for sex.
8. Irritation and confusion
Already after one sleepless day, we become irritable, rude, and dull. After three days, we regularly experience mood swings – from irritability and gloom to sudden excitement and overenthusiasm. We also become less empathetic, not only feeling no desire to help others but also not understanding them. Additionally, we have serious problems concentrating and focusing. After a few days of sleep deprivation, we make riskier decisions.
9. Hallucinations
The boundary between sleep and wakefulness is very blurred. Surfaces begin to fluctuate. Bizarre characters appear and disappear. Acoustic illusions may also occur: we believe we hear our phone ringing or someone knocking at the door. Many people experience the "hat symptom," e.g., a pressure felt around the head similar to wearing a hat. This is a very dangerous condition, especially when we feel strong fatigue, for example, when driving a car for several hours.
10. Memory problems
264 hours and 12 minutes (11 days) – this is the record number of sleepless nights. Randy, who participated in the experiment, was asked to solve a simple calculation after the test was completed. He had to subtract the number 7 from 100 step by step. Suddenly he stopped at 65 and... he forgot what he was supposed to do. Memory problems occur much earlier than after 11 sleepless nights. Two bad nights are enough to already have trouble remembering simple things.
Source: Sleep magazine, National Sleep Foundation