5 Conditions That Can Be Experienced If You Lack Sleep

We require sleep equal to the need for food and breathing. Sleep deprivation habits, if accustomed to, can cause various adverse effects on health. Then, what happens if we lack sleep?

Sleep has a vital role in the body. At bedtime, the body will improve itself, both physical and mental conditions. We feel refreshed and energized when we wake up and ready to undergo activities throughout the day. Besides, sleep also helps the growth and development process, especially in children and adolescents, because it is during sleep that growth hormones are released.

If you don't get enough sleep, this will happen

Photo by @lvnatikk

Everyone has different sleep needs. But in general, it takes quality sleep for 7-9 hours every day, so that the essential functions above can run optimally. As for children and adolescents, rest needs range from 8-10 hours every day.

If you lack sleep, it will cause you to look tired when you wake up, yawn throughout the day, and difficult to concentrate. The following things can also happen if you often get less sleep:

Suffering from a serious illness

As many as 9 out of 10 Insomniacs were also suffering from various serious illnesses. Insomnia itself is a condition of someone who has difficulty falling asleep or having difficulty sleeping soundly.

Insomniacs have a risk of serious illness, including heart disease, in the form of heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias), heart failure, and heart attacks.

With sleep, the body can repair damage to blood vessels and the heart. That is why people who sleep less are more prone to suffer from heart disease.

Insomniacs have a higher risk of diabetes, obesity, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, and mental health problems such as mood and anxiety disorders.

Easily sick and difficult to recover

The immune system produces proteins called cytokines. Cytokines are needed to help the body fight infection, inflammation, and stress. When we sleep, the body will release cytokines. If we sleep less, then the production of these cytokines will also be reduced.

Lack of sleep also causes a decrease in the immune system's ability and cell performance in fighting infection. It can adversely affect the body's immune system in fighting infections and the natural healing process's speed.

Decreased s e x performance

When a person lacks sleep, he will experience a decreased desire to have s e x and have a lower level of s e x u a l satisfaction.

Fatigue, drowsiness, and increased stress due to lack of sleep will cause their s e x u a l desire and interest to decrease.

For men who suffer from sleep apnea, where breathing problems interfere with sleep, other factors affect the lack of s e x u a l interest, namely testosterone levels. At least half of the men with sleep apnea are reported to have low testosterone levels.

Reduces memory

Sleep is the time to put things that have been learned and experienced throughout the day into the short-term memory system. During sleep, the neural connections that support a person's memory experience strengthening. If sleep disturbed, automatically the brain's ability to process and store memories will also experience interference.

Research also shows that lack of sleep, in the long run, can result in a decrease in the brain's ability to think and process information.

Lack of sleep will cause a person to be sleepy, which the reasons people forget. Drowsiness also causes loss of concentration ability. If this continues, then don't be surprised if your memory weakens.

Accelerate premature aging

If lack of sleep occurs continuously, the skin will become dull, smooth wrinkles arise, and there are dark circles under the eyes.

This condition is caused by the increased production of the hormone cortisol in people who lack sleep. Excessive cortisol hormones can destroy collagen, which serves to smooth and maintain skin elasticity.

Sleep deprivation also causes reduced production of growth hormone, which increases muscle mass, thickens the skin, and strengthens bones.

The high number of traffic accidents and work accidents is an indirect result of a lack of sleep.

Although it sounds trivial, lack of sleep that is left continuously will harm health in the long run. If you often experience insomnia, you should consult a doctor to get further tests and appropriate treatment.

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