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HealthFive harmful effects of lack of sleep
Are your nights getting shorter and shorter? Attention! Lack of sleep can harm long-term health.
A single night without sleep is already enough to notice adverse effects on mood, concentration, attention and efficiency.
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Sleep allows you to recharge your batteries, rest your body and mind, digest what you have experienced and strengthen your immune system.
Sleep is one of the basic needs of a human being. Therefore, the effects of lack of sleep ripple through all aspects of life. But what exactly happens when you don’t sleep?
1. Lack of focus
Lack of sleep causes concentration problems. Performing tasks and making decisions becomes difficult, as does finding the words to express yourself. This is explained by the fact that an exhausted brain is no longer able to switch from short-term memory to long-term memory.
Lack of sleep causes concentration problems.
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2. Increased risk taking
According to a recent study, sleep-deprived individuals make more risky decisions. It should be noted that the study participants did not consider themselves more inclined to take risks. Often, therefore, we do not necessarily notice ourselves how much the lack of sleep affects us.
Lack of sleep increases risk taking. This can be particularly dangerous in road traffic.
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3. Cell damage and disease promotion
A study carried out by theUniversity of Surrey highlighted how lack of sleep affects health. Participants who slept a maximum of six hours a night for a week experienced a disturbance in the secretion of hormones released during the 24-hour circadian cycle, which disrupts an individual’s internal biological clock. As a result, the cells of the whole body regenerate less well, the immune system weakens and stress is less compensated, which can lead to many diseases.
People stressed by their work and their daily lives should give up the series marathon in the evening. The brain needs time to disconnect and find rest and sleep.
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4. Memory loss
In addition to social behavior, lack of sleep also affects the mind in several ways: the memory capacity decreases, we quickly become irritable and it is difficult to concentrate. Lack of sleep can also lead to depression. People who suffer from depression tend to have poor sleep – a vicious cycle.
How much sleep do we need?
The need for sleep is individual. An adult needs seven to nine hours of sleep per night, including exceptions. For sleep researchers, six hours is considered “little sleep.” To know if you have a long enough and restorative sleep, you just have to see if you have the energy and the feeling of being balanced throughout the day. It is worth observing yourself during the holidays: following how many hours of sleep do you feel rested following a night’s sleep, without setting the alarm clock?
Sleep doctors often compare the effects of lack of sleep to those of alcohol: an individual who sleeps less than six hours several nights in a row is in a state comparable to that of a person with 1 mg/l alcohol in the blood and exhibits decreased responsiveness, judgment and memory loss.
5. Lack of sleep makes you selfish
When we have slept little or badly, we are less helpful. This is the conclusion of a new University of California study. Significant changes were seen in the brains of study participants following a sleepless night. The regions of the brain that allow us to show compassion and understanding towards the needs of others were precisely less active. Fortunately, the effect is not lasting – following a night’s rest, empathy and helpfulness were once more as pronounced as before. It is advisable to agree to good nights of sleep: the body and the entourage will thank you for it.
Tips for better sleep
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sleep masks prevent the eye from perceiving light and thus promote the production of melatonin (sleep hormone) by the body, which allows you to fall asleep more quickly.
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ear plugs help to have a peaceful sleep, despite ambient noise.
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Valerian products promote relaxation, do not create addiction and are therefore preferable to sleeping pills.
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Meditation apps or ASMR promote sleep and make it easy to fall into the arms of Morpheus.
And you, what are your techniques for getting a good night’s sleep?
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