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Many effects of a lack of sleep, such as feeling grumpy and not working at your
best, are well known. But did you know that sleep deprivation can also have
profound consequences on your physical health?
One in three of us suffers from poor sleep, with stress, computers and taking
work home often blamed.
However, the cost of all those sleepless nights is more than just bad moods and
a lack of focus.
Regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including
obesity, heart disease and diabetes and it shortens your life expectancy.
It s now clear that a solid night s sleep is essential for a long and healthy
life.
How much sleep do we need?
Most of us need around eight hours of good-quality sleep a night to function
properly but some need more and some less. What matters is that you find out
how much sleep you need and then try to achieve it.
As a general rule, if you wake up tired and spend the day longing for a chance
to have a nap, it s likely that you re not getting enough sleep.
A variety of factors can cause poor sleep, including health conditions such as
sleep apnoea. But in most cases, it s due to bad sleeping habits.
Find out the common medical causes of fatigue.
What happens if I don't sleep?
Everyone s experienced the fatigue, short temper and lack of focus that often
follow a poor night s sleep.
An occasional night without sleep makes you feel tired and irritable the next
day, but it won t harm your health.
After several sleepless nights, the mental effects become more serious. Your
brain will fog, making it difficult to concentrate and make decisions. You ll
start to feel down, and may fall asleep during the day. Your risk of injury and
accidents at home, work and on the road also increases.
Find out how to tell if you're too tired to drive.
If it continues, lack of sleep can affect your overall health and make you
prone to serious medical conditions, such as obesity, heart disease, high blood
pressure and diabetes.
Here are seven ways in which a good night's sleep can boost your health:
1. Sleep boosts immunity
If you seem to catch every cold and flu that s going around, your bedtime could
be to blame. Prolonged lack of sleep can disrupt your immune system, so you re
less able to fend off bugs.
2. Sleep can slim you
Sleeping less may mean you put on weight! Studies have shown that people who
sleep less than seven hours a day tend to gain more weight and have a higher
risk of becoming obese than those who get seven hours of slumber.
It s believed to be because sleep-deprived people have reduced levels of leptin
(the chemical that makes you feel full) and increased levels of ghrelin (the
hunger-stimulating hormone).
3. Sleep boosts mental wellbeing
Given that a single sleepless night can make you irritable and moody the
following day, it s not surprising that chronic sleep debt may lead to
long-term mood disorders like depression and anxiety.
When people with anxiety or depression were surveyed to calculate their
sleeping habits, it turned out that most of them slept for less than six hours
a night.
4. Sleep prevents diabetes
Studies have suggested that people who usually sleep less than five hours a
night have an increased risk of having or developing diabetes.
It seems that missing out on deep sleep may lead to type 2 diabetes by changing
the way the body processes glucose the high-energy carbohydrate that cells
use for fuel.
5. Sleep increases sex drive
Men and women who don t get enough quality sleep have lower libidos and less of
an interest in sex, research shows.
Men who suffer from sleep apnoea a disorder in which breathing difficulties
lead to interrupted sleep also tend to have lower testosterone levels, which
can lower libido.
6. Sleep wards off heart disease
Long-standing sleep deprivation seems to be associated with increased heart
rate, an increase in blood pressure and higher levels of certain chemicals
linked with inflammation, which may put extra strain on your heart.
7. Sleep increases fertility
Difficulty conceiving a baby has been claimed as one of the effects of sleep
deprivation, in both men and women. Apparently, regular sleep disruptions can
cause trouble conceiving by reducing the secretion of reproductive hormones.
How to catch up on lost sleep
If you don t get enough sleep, there s only one way to compensate getting
more sleep.
It won t happen with a single early night. If you ve had months of restricted
sleep, you ll have built up a significant sleep debt, so expect recovery to
take several weeks.
Starting on a weekend, try to add on an extra hour or two of sleep a night. The
way to do this is to go to bed when you re tired, and allow your body to wake
you in the morning (no alarm clocks allowed!).
Expect to sleep for upwards of 10 hours a night at first. After a while, the
amount of time you sleep will gradually decrease to a normal level.
Don t rely on caffeine or energy drinks as a short-term pick-me-up. They may
boost your energy and concentration temporarily, but can disrupt your sleep
patterns even further in the long term.
Read these common energy booster myths.
Tips for getting a good night s sleep.
Read about ways to beat insomnia.
Page last reviewed: 15/06/2015
Next review due: 15/06/2018
https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/tiredness-and-fatigue/Pages/
lack-of-sleep-health-risks.aspx