Most people do not take sleep seriously, and so they will only have enough of it when they have time to spare. However, this is a huge mistake because if you do not sleep enough, your body will suffer the consequences. Contrary to what most might think, the lack of sleep does not just make you foggy and grumpy, because it can have severe effects on your health. The following are some of the things that can happen to your body if you lose sleep. And so the next time you plan on skipping sleep to go out or to work you should have these consequences mind.
1. You Tend To Forget Things
The brain also needs some rest to ensure that it function correctly. Although the brain does not shut down even when you sleep, the reduction in activity gives it a much-needed break. If you do not sleep enough, you will not only be forgetful, but some research also suggests that it has an impact on your memory and ability to learn new things. It is important to get enough sleep so that your brain can consolidate everything that you learn.
2. Risk Of Getting Diabetes, Cancer And Heart Disease Increases
People that do not get enough sleep have an increased chance of getting stage two diabetes. Different research findings show that individuals who sleep for less than five hours every day increase their probability of getting diabetes because the lack of sleep interferes with how the body processes glucose. Short sleep cycles also increase the rates of breast and prostate cancer, but research on this is not yet conclusive. About heart disease, the sleep deprivation increases blood pressure, and this may put extra pressure on your heart leading to different conditions.
3. You Will Have Low Libido
Men that lose sleep for an extended period will have a significant reduction in their testosterone level. Sleeping for less than five hours at night also leads to a decrease in the sex hormone level by up to 15 percent, and this means that lack of sleep can cause low libido directly. The men that do not get enough sleep also witness a decline in mood and vigor and so their desire to have sex also slumps. Lack of sex drive also occurs with ladies that lose sleep, but it is not as severe as what happens to men.
4. Skin Will Look Terrible
Dermatologists will always advise you to get enough rest if you want to have a nice soft skin and this shows that sleep has a direct impact on your skin. People that do not get enough sleep will tend to have pigmentation, wrinkles, and their skin also appears loose. Their skin might not look nice, but the poor sleepers also have more issue with their appearance than those that get enough sleep.
5. Lack Of Alertness
One of the reasons why sleep experts recommend daytime naps is because they improve alertness. And so it is evident that lack of enough sleep will affect your alertness significantly. If you are sleep deprived, you will not perform well at work because of the lack of alertness and impaired judgment. The drowsiness that comes from sleep deprivation also causes many accidents that lead to thousands of fatalities and injuries because if you do not sleep well, you will not be able to concentrate on the road when driving.
6. You Gain Some Extra Pounds
According to the findings of a 2004 study, people who sleep for six hours or less are thirty percent more likely to become obese than those that sleep for more than seven hours each night. Lack of enough sleep increases hunger and appetite which are the two main things that make people gain too much weight. Sleep deprivation will not only give you hunger, but it also gives you cravings for foods that are high in fats and carbohydrates which are very fattening.
No matter how busy you might be there is always time available for sleep and if you do not utilize it well, then you should be ready for the consequences. The six above are just a few of the things that can happen if you lose sleep, and there are many others including premature aging and death. There are medications that you can take to help you sleep but do not let it reach to that point. Instead, you should start by coming up with a sleep cycle and following it. Also, make use of daytime naps to avoid the adverse consequences of sleep deprivation.
Natural News DT
