Effects of Lack of Sleep
Failure to get enough sleep each night can negatively impact your mental and physical health. Many factors can cause sleep deprivation, including snoring, depression, and poor health. Here is what sleep deprivation can do to you.
Weaker Immune System
Your body produces various substances, such as cytokines and antibodies, when you sleep. These substances help to fight disease-causing invaders, like viruses and bacteria. The cytokines can also help you have a better night’s sleep and give your body enough time to combat illness.
When you don’t sleep enough, your immune system is unable to generate enough disease-fighting substances. If you are sick, you might take a longer time to heal.
Respiratory System Problems
Certain respiratory system disorders, such as sleep apnea, can prevent you from having a good night’s sleep. Sleep deprivation can then increase your risk of getting respiratory conditions, such as flu and the common cold. If you have any existing respiratory diseases, poor sleep quality can make the condition worse. For example, sleep deprivation makes it harder to recover from a chronic lung illness.
Memory Loss
Your brain collects various memories during your waking time. The memories may be fact-based, episodic, or instructional and procedural. Memories go through various processes, including consolidation, in which the brain stabilizes memory. Your brain must also have the function of recollecting the memory in the future.
Much of memory consolidation occurs when you are asleep. If you have insufficient sleep, your brain might not effectively recollect some events. That’s because the part that recollects long-term memory replays the day’s events as you sleep. The neocortex will then review the replayed memories and store them accordingly.
Memory loss can negatively affect your career and social life. For example, you might not properly remember what you learned at school or the name of the person you met the previous day.
Low Sex Drive
Sufficient amounts of testosterone are necessary for male sexual performance. The hormone boosts your sexual desire and stimulates your genitals during sex. If the testosterone levels are low, you might experience erectile dysfunction. This is when you can’t get or maintain an erection during sex. Lack of enough sleep can reduce testosterone levels in your body. That’s because sleep deprivation reduces blood circulation in the body, causing low libido levels.
Poor sleep also affects the female genitalia’s ability to lubricate during sex. Low lubrication can interfere with penetration and might even cause bleeding during sex.
Mental Health Problems
Lack of proper sleep can cause brain fog, a condition in which you feel confused and have trouble concentrating. You may also have mood changes and experience irritability. The mood changes may be accompanied by feelings of depression and anxiety. The combination of these feelings means that you will have higher levels of aggression and anger.
Even activities that you normally complete properly will start to frustrate you. If the condition continues, you might start to experience hallucinations and delusions. The condition will get worse the more you think about your lack of sleep, and it can lead to insomnia.
Hypertension
People who sleep less have an increased risk of suffering from hypertension. When you sleep, your body is able to regulate hormones better. If you don’t sleep enough, your heart rate and blood pressure may increase. There may also be instances of inflammation that exert unnecessary pressure on your heart.
Obesity and Weight Gain
Fatigue often causes people to have unhealthy cravings. You are likely to choose foods that have high levels of carbohydrates. At the same time, your physical stamina will reduce. All these factors will lead to rapid weight gain.
Several factors can interfere with your ability to have a good night’s sleep. Some of these factors include snoring and sleep apnea. GNO Snoring & Sinus can help you resolve the issue of snoring and sleep apnea. Contact us for more information.