There comes a stage where our lives, work and busyness consume us so much that we don’t have time to take care of ourselves, whereby we don’t even rest enough because we feel like life is so busy there’s no time to rest.
That’s not a good place to be in, it does not work in our favour and if we don’t fix it, it only gets worse for us.
One might consider sleep deprivation as a minor problem that you can let slide without consequences. That is not true and its outcomes are unpleasant, these are some of them as explained by health experts.
Change in mood: The National Library of Medicine published a review in 2018 that described the link between mood swings and sleep deprivation. It featured research showing a link between sleep deprivation and elevated levels of anger, rage, and emotional outbursts. The paper also mentioned how lack of sleep can worsen mood disorders like depression and anxiety that already exist.
Reduced capacity for learning: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that healthy brain function depends on getting enough sleep. “The brain compiles the knowledge it has absorbed during the day as you sleep. As such, sleep deprivation has a direct impact on an individual’s capacity to acquire new knowledge or abilities.” The NIH further states that not getting enough sleep can also negatively impact your focus, judgement, and creativity
Increased risk of diabetes: According to Healthline, an online medical news publication, people who don’t get enough sleep run the risk of gaining weight in addition to adult-onset diabetes. The publication claims that researchers looked at ten different sleep and diabetes research and, “Their findings uncovered that 7 to 8 hours of rest is the optimal range to avoid insulin issues that could lead to diabetes.”
Skin problems: Healthline further states that in one study, sleep patterns and skin health were used to assess a group of participants ranging in age from 30 to 50. According to the findings, people who slept too little had more wrinkles, fine lines, uneven skin tone, and noticeably looser skin. “In addition, poor sleepers felt less confident in their appearance than their peers who got enough sleep.”
Your body slowly shuts down: According to Everyday Health, when you don’t get enough sleep for a long time “The body begins to compensate by shutting down for ‘microsleeps’, 3 to 15-second bursts of rest, during which your brain switches off”
If you would like to catch up on your sleep and avoid the plague of risks mentioned above, the Medical News Today publication suggests the following;
- Create and keep a consistent nighttime routine
- Wake up at the same time every day
- Stay active during the day, and avoid naps during the day,
- Put away all electronics before bed
- Avoid heavy meals just before bed
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed
- Let yourself unwind before bed; keeping the bed for sex and sleep only
- Sleep in a calm, dark, and cool place
Also see: Ways to enhance your sleep naturally
