Do you do your best to lead a healthy life? Good nutrition and regular exercise will surely do wonders for your well-being, but without enough hours of sleep every night, all of your efforts will be in vain. Sleep is extremely important for our health, and without it, your physical, as well as mental well-being, will suffer. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not make sleep their priority. If you are one of them, here are several ways sleep deprivation can affect your mood and your physical health. Read on to see why you should try to improve your sleeping habits ASAP.
Sleep deprivation affects your concentration
Do you have a hard time staying alert after a long night? This is nothing unusual since lack of sleep easily impairs your attention, concentration, and even problem-solving skills. Moreover, if you do not get enough ZZZs, you won’t be able to remember what you learned during the day. This happens because certain sleep cycles are in charge of consolidating memories in our mind. Getting a good mattress is the first step towards getting a good night’s sleep, so check out reviews on Anatomy of Sleep and find the best one for yourself.
Lack of sleep causes serious health problems
Sleep deprivation won’t just make you cranky. In fact, it can lead to a number of serious and life-threatening health issues. Chronic sleep loss can cause heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes. Studies show that 90% of people who suffer from insomnia also struggle with at least one other health condition.
Sleep deprivation affects your libido
Both women and men who are sleep deprived are often less interested in sex. It is no wonder since lack of energy, sleepiness, and increased stress levels can greatly affect one’s libido.
Lack of sleep leads to depression
Several nights without a good night’s sleep may not cause serious issues, but in time, lack of sleep can even lead to depression. On the other hand, sleep deprivation is one of the first symptoms of depression. Unfortunately, lack of sleep and depression feed on each other. While insomnia worsens depression symptoms, depression makes it difficult to fall asleep. However, there is still good news. Treating insomnia can help treat depression and the other way around.
Lack of sleep ages you
Do you wish to have younger-looking skin? All the products in the world won’t help you if you don’t follow a healthy sleep routine. As you might know, a sleepless night can make your face look puffy, but things can get much worse. Chronic sleep loss can lead to lackluster skin, wrinkles, and dark circles under your eyes. This happens because a tired body releases cortisol, a hormone that can break down collagen, the protein that keeps your skin elastic. Lack of sleep also causes the body to release too little human growth hormone. Even if you are an adult and you are not growing anymore, this hormone has an important role. It increases muscle mass, thickens your skin, and strengthens bones. This hormone is only released during deep sleep, and without enough of it, your body won’t be able to patch the wear and tear of the day.
Lack of sleep leads to weight gain
After a long sleepless night, do you often find yourself opening the refrigerator door? Sleep deprivation is connected with an increase in appetite. In fact, people who suffer from insomnia are much more prone to becoming obese. This has to do with the peptides that regulate appetite. While ghrelin is in charge of hunger stimulation, leptin suppresses appetite. When you do not get enough sleep, leptin decreases, and ghrelin increases. Sleep deprivation also stimulates cravings for greasy, high-carbohydrate foods, otherwise known as junk food. Eating such meals will quickly lead to unwanted weight gain, among other problems.
As you can see, lack of sleep, your physical health, and your mood are closely connected. Therefore, try to adopt healthy sleeping habits and as a result, improve your well-being.
