Health Effects of Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation has become more and more common. This because we have such busy working schedules, that don’t allow us to feel like we’re alive, so we prefer cutting out on sleep and doing something “fun” rather than allowing our bodies to rest. It’s needless to say that this isn’t the best choice, but, we can’t work all the time and do the things that society wants us to, so cutting on sleep become a habit. How many of us didn’t spend a whole night in a bar or club, and only got a few hours of sleep before going back to work? We do it because everyone else does it, and if everyone else does it and they seem fine, why wouldn’t we?
Well, because sleep deprivation has various effects on various people. The health effects of sleep deprivation are many:
- Hand tremors
- Headaches
- Increased blood pressure
- Aching muscles
- Weakened immune system
- Irritability
- Memory lapses or loss
- Weight loss or gain
And these are just a few of them. In severe cases, sleep deprivation mimics conditions like ADHD and psychosis. Actually, if you see your friend who party hard and work hard having tons of energy, most likely their sleep deprivation makes them to have symptoms similar to ADHD. Now, they might seem full of energy, but their brain and bodies are exhausted, and their actions, even if full of energy, are erratic and lack logic. For this, it might work, especially if you work in an environment which requires creative thinking, but, in the end, all that happens is burning your own fuse.
If you believe that you can recoup sleep easily, then you’re wrong. For every night you spend without getting proper sleep, it takes at least three nights for the body to regain its balance. Think about that!
Also, if you believe that taking sleeping pills is healthy, think again! These don’t allow you to get a deep REM sleep, and you’ll end up having poor quality sleep. If you want to sleep properly, you need to take natural sleeping pills without side effects and allow this to happen naturally.
All of us come across a certain period in our life, where we go to bet quite late and then have to get up early. Thinking about waking up early keeps you in a sleepless mode all night, till it is the time, when you have to break your sleep for carrying out your regular task. When you eventually wake up, you have a groggy feel and are not quite your own self. If this routine continues for a length of time, your entire system is bound to get affected. Effects of Sleep deprivation are many and can lead to serious consequences.
For a normal adult, it is recommended by all experts that they should have at least a sleep of 8 hours every night. This helps in giving proper rest to the body and helping it in carrying out certain important physical functions, such as digestion. So, what can happen, if you are unable to maintain this routine? What are the effects of sleep deprivation?
- Abnormal Functioning of Brain; The brain will start to function abnormally for people affected with sleep deprivation. There have been a number of studies to prove this face. Experts following the tests have found out that people, following the general routine, are better in learning when compared to insomnia cases. Again, the performance of memorizing things also gets decreased for individuals, who are deprived of sleep for long.
- Stress and Depression in Men and Women; Both men and women find it hard to give enough time to sleep, as they have to carry out their regular activities in the correct order. Normally, men have to bear the burden of the financial aspect of the household and even take important decisions. Again, women, who are working, can also face the same situation. However, in addition, they have to carry out a lot of household work, which keeps them up for longer period. Irrespective of the situation, once they start giving less importance to proper sleep, it is found that stress and depression creep in. And on the whole, their body performance also degrades to a considerable level.
Irrespective of your hectic schedule, you should give your system the rest it needs in the form of sleep. If you are not doing it, you are weakening it considerably. In case you feel that these affects are showing up on you, then it is better that you opt for any natural remedy to cure your situation. They should relieve you of this disorder with no side-effects whatsoever.
Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Body
Getting adequate sleep, on a daily basis is extremely essential, for our physical and mental well-being. Some might feel that sleeping is a natural process and it happens on its own, while for others, sleeping often turns out to be a daunting task, to accomplish. Sleep deprivation, at the present time, is a very common disorder found all across the planet. The effects of sleep deprivation on the body can sometimes be quite severe. Good sleep is extremely vital for the human body, to restore specific body parts, like the brain, for best possible performance. There are several effects of sleep deprivation on the body and some can extremely dangerous to health.
- Firstly, devoid of good sleep, the body’s central nervous system tends to become extra active, which in turn restrains the pancreas from generating sufficient amount of insulin. Insulin is the hormone, which is required by the body to absorb glucose.
- Secondly, lack of sleep often leads to obesity. During the course of deep sleep growth hormone gets secreted by the body. As both women and men grow old, they tend to enjoy deep sleep very rarely, which reduces secretion of the growth hormone. At adolescent age, sleep deprivation causes premature reduction of GH secretion, which considerably increases the fat-gaining process.
- Thirdly, improper sleeping habits can enhance carbohydrate cravings. This is because sleep deprivation, adversely affects the Leptin hormone secretion. This specific hormone is accountable for informing the body, as soon as it is full. But, when the Leptin secretion gets reduced, the body tends to crave for more extra calories.
Researchers have found that weakening of the immune system is one of the major effects of sleep deprivation on the body. Sleep deprivation, negatively influences the production of white blood cell in the body and the body’s capability to combat infections.
It has also been found that individuals who get inadequate sleep often suffer from reduced alertness and loses their focusing and concentration power.
Moreover, it has also been contemplated that there possibilities of a link between sleep deprivation and breast cancer. Melatonin, mostly produced, at the absence of light, in the night, might decreases the secretion of estrogen in the body. However, when light disturbs melatonin release, the estrogen levels tends to increase. Excess of estrogen can raise the chances of breast cancers.
Other effects of sleep deprivation on the body are toughening of arteries, depression, irritability, hypertension and insulin resistance. Hence, it is very important to have adequate hours of sleep daily.
Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Children
If you are a parent you might be quite familiar with your own signs of sleep deprivation and know how it can affect you. But, most of us may not have been affected by sleep deprivation when we were young and thus we do not know what the effects of sleep deprivation on children are. This article is here to help you understand the effects of sleep deprivation on kids.
Children are mostly immature, they don’t know what’s good or bad for them as they are still learning, but as well they do not know how much time is required for proper sleep. You as a parent will have to take the responsibility of educating children on the importance of sleep. Well, some of you reading might get the doubt – How can I know if my child is suffering from sleep deprivation? Do not worry I’ve got that covered for you. Scientists have recently conducted a few experiments on this subject. In these experiments, 8-10 year olds were not allowed to sleep for more than 4 hours a day and as a result these kids performed worse on cognitive tests. Scientists have found out that signs/effects of sleep deprivation on children include same signs as we see in adults.
So, the effects of sleep deprivation on children are:
- They find it harder to wake up in the morning! Have you ever spent an hour waking up your child? Take a closer look at the total amount time he sleeps and find out if he is being deprived of sleep.
- They show greater difficulty in concentrating! This one explains itself.
- They fall asleep suddenly during the day! Here’s a major sign that all of us must look for. Sometimes, kids tend to fall asleep during the day but it can be for 2 reasons. One, they must have come back from some highly exhausting work and thus felt too tired to do anything but sleep. Two, they just feel way too sleepy and their eyelids struggle to be open. If it’s the first one, then your kid is all right, it is just natural but if it is the second case where even if he is not doing any sort of exhausting activity but tends to falls asleep then I suggest you to take a closer look at the amount of time he spends sleeping.
- Defiant Behavior – this one speaks for itself
- Hyperactivity – if your kid is hyperactive, this may be because of sleep deprivation.
I have written the most common effects of sleep derivation above. There may be more, but for that, you need to observe your own child and find them out themselves. When there is a problem, there is a solution for it, well some of you might be wondering about remedies already. I’ve got good news for you; there are natural sleep remedies available on the market that can help your child to sleep better. If you do not know any other way to solve this problem of sleep deprivation in kids, I suggest you go with natural sleep remedies.
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