The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Brain, Heart, Lungs, Metabolism, Mood, and Immune System: Tips for Better Sleep Habits

2024-02-28 14:00:00
Not getting enough sleep or interruptions can affect your brain, heart, and lungs, as well as your metabolism, mood, and immune system. (Illustrative image Infobae)

Sleep is as essential to human survival and well-being as food and water. Sleep influences almost every aspect of the body, affecting the brain, heart and lungs, as well as metabolism, mood and the immune system. Physical, emotional and mental health depends, in part, on good sleep.

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However, today almost a third of the population cannot sleep within the recommended range of 7 to 9 hours a night. It was discovered that 31% of adults sleep less than recommended by sleep medicine specialists.

The finding arises from a global study with more than 67,000 participants. It was published in the magazine Sleep Health and carried out by researchers from Australia and France. They used a sensor installed on the participants’ mattresses.

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It revealed that only 15% of people slept the recommended 7-9 hours for five or more nights a week. Among those who averaged 7-9 hours per night during the nine-month follow-up period, regarding 40% of nights fell outside the ideal range.

“This is crucial because not getting enough sleep – or possibly too much sleep – is associated with harmful effects, and we are only just realizing the consequences of irregular sleep,” said Dr Hannah Scott, a Flinders University researcher and first author. from work.

A scientific study revealed that only 15% of people tested slept the recommended 7-9 hours for five or more nights a week. Lack of sleep results in drowsiness during the day / Getty File

In dialogue with Infobae, Dr. Daniel Pérez-Chada, director of the Sleep Clinic of the Austral University Hospital and president of the Argentine Sleep Foundation, highlighted: “Although we already know that the hours dedicated to sleep have been reduced, the new The study was done with a large number of participants who were evaluated in their homes, through position sensors on their mattresses. When done at home, it is real-world research in people’s natural habitat, which allows many nights of sleep to be monitored.”

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It was identified that there is irregularity in sleep schedules – that is, falling asleep at the same time every day – and that conspires once morest the consolidation of effective sleep.”

Regarding the sensors, Pérez-Chada recalled that they have been compared before with polysomnography technology. “They are not as precise as polysomnography, but they have a good correlation for monitoring. These sensors are now freely available. They have benefits, but in some people they generate anxiety because they cannot sleep the recommended hours,” she said.

Lack of sleep can cause memory problems and affect performance during the day (iStock)

When you don’t get enough sleep, you suffer from sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep can affect whether you sleep poorly one night or sleep poorly on a regular basis.

In the short term, lack of sleep affects mood, judgment, and ability to concentrate. If you don’t sleep well, you will have difficulty remembering things and be more prone to making mistakes in school or work activities.

In the long term, lack of sleep is associated with chronic health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke, obesity, depression, and heart and kidney disease. Lack of sleep also increases the risk of injuries, such as traffic accidents.

Sleeping less than six hours on average per night is associated with a higher risk of mortality and multiple conditions, such as hypertension, obesity and heart disease. Sleeping less than 7 hours and more than 9 hours a day has been linked to adverse health and well-being, including digestive and neurobehavioral deficits.

Participants in the study were 67,254 adults (52,523 men, 14,731 women), primarily from Europe and North America. They agreed to have a sensor under their mattress during monitoring (Getty)

“It is clear that achieving the recommended sleep duration range is often a challenge for many people, especially during the work week,” Scott noted.

Flinders’ research group used sleep tracking data collected by a sensor placed under the mattress to examine sleep durations over the 9-month period in nearly 68,000 adults around the world.

The sample consisted of 67,254 adults (52,523 men, 14,731 women), mainly from Europe and North America, who had the sensor under their mattress.

The researchers called on public health authorities to promote actions that promote good sleep. Staying up to watch TV at night may increase the risk of insomnia/Getty File

In general, women slept longer than men, and middle-aged people slept less than young or old people.

“Based on these results, public health and advocacy efforts should support the community and individuals to sleep more regularly within the recommended limits for their age,” said co-author Professor Danny Eckert, a research fellow. principal at the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and director of Sleep Health research at Flinders University.

“We also need to help people resolve chronic sleep difficulties and encourage everyone to make sleep a priority,” Eckert stressed.

Consumption of caffeinated beverages can disrupt sleep at night / File / Ezra Bailey

Researchers’ tips to get a restful sleep are:

• In the short term, people are advised to try to maintain a sleep schedule that allows them to feel sufficiently rested, as often as possible. Keeping a regular time to get up, even on weekends, and going to bed when you feel sleepy will help ensure that you frequently get enough restful sleep.
• If a consistent sleep schedule cannot be maintained due to unavoidable commitments (e.g. shift work), it is recommended to make up for lost sleep.
• If you experience daytime sleepiness, fatigue, difficulty staying focused, poor memory, and potential for making mistakes while driving, these may be symptoms of insufficient sleep. This may be due to not getting enough sleep or because the sleep is not sufficiently restorative due to poor quality, as occurs, for example, with obstructive sleep apnea.

People who believe they don’t get enough sleep, especially those who sleep less than seven hours, might want to see if a longer sleep schedule or naps help them get more sleep and feel more rested.

If there are frequent difficulties falling asleep or staying asleep during the night, a health professional should be consulted to prevent the consequences of the disorder / Getty File

For those who do not suffer from sleep disorders, following good sleep hygiene may be beneficial. They should avoid consuming caffeine (which is in coffee or mate) and alcohol in the followingnoon. They should also reduce caffeine and alcohol consumption throughout the day, and/or avoid a large meal close to bedtime. These recommendations can help you fall asleep faster and sleep longer at night.

If you are concerned regarding sleep problems, the first thing to do is consult your family doctor. There are treatment options for various sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea and insomnia. When diagnosed, patients may be referred to specialist sleep professionals.

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