While this may be a negative approach to convincing you to sleep, I thought it was necessary to explain how significant sleep deprivation can be in your life. In high school, I repeatedly hear people admitting to a lack of sleep, yet they have no motivation to critique this area of their life. I did not even understand what sleep deprivation felt like until relatively recently because I have gone to sleep at similar every day (getting 8 hours on the weekends and 7 hours on the weekdays). It honestly was the best decision in my life, and it enrages me that I lacked the motivation until I was 19. Nonetheless, I think it is vital to understand possible consequences spurring from sleep deprivation. The symptoms are easily viewed with chronic sleep deprivation but may be seen with occasional poor sleep habits.
I will use WebMD’s “10 Things to Hate About Sleep Loss” to help inform you of how shocking sleep deprivation is. Sleepiness causes accidents that include the biggest disasters in history like the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island and the 1989 Massive Exxon Valdez oil spill; one of the main causes of car accidents; and the cause of injuries to the body. Another negative consequence is harming the cognitive processes and normal brain functioning. This includes reduced ability to focus, process, recall, store memories, feel happy, impair learning and problem, and reduce the ability to resist temptations. Next, sleep deprivation can lead to serious health problems, and I would argue that it is one of the biggest causes of death in the world. Sleep deprivation can cause heart diseases, heart attacks, heart failures, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, colds, and decreased blood circulation.
The fourth side effects the article covers is how the lack of sleep kills the sex drive. It impairs the appropriate functioning of hormones, reduces energy levels, impairs imaginative capabilities, promotes feelings of sleepiness, and restricts blood circulation. Since there are many biological factors as to why people have a sex drive, you can imagine how poorly sleep deprivation is for the body. Subsequently, sleepiness makes you more prone to developing depression, and people who have depression are less likely to have suitable sleep. Also, sleep aggravates the symptoms of depression, displaying a vicious cycle in which sleep deprivation and depression eat off of each other to survive. Chronic sleep loss can lead to lackluster skin, fine lines, dark circles under your eyes, and acne. The reason why this occurs is that during sleep, the growth hormones repair tissue and promote radiant. Without enough sleep, the body lack appropriate recovery resulting in poor skin quality. People truly do age faster when they lack sleep.
Scientists discovered that a lack of sleep seems to be related to an increase in hunger and appetite, leading to the development of obesity. A study showed that people who sleep less than six hours a day are almost 30% more likely to become obese than someone who received nine hours of sleep. To account for the reduced energy levels, people need to eat more to account for the deficit. When somebody has a poor diet, they will be eating high-fat and high-carbohydrate food which is terrible for the body. When you do not sleep that much, your body increases fat cells’ production, showing how sleep deprivation can cause unnecessary weight gain.
THE WORST SIDE EFFECT for muscular dystrophy people would have to be how it impairs muscles. This is not a part of the article, but it is widespread knowledge that sleeping is necessary for muscle growth and recovery. When you are sleep deprived, your muscles cannot recover appropriately, causing increased inflammation and reduced strength. The muscle system is already not working appropriately, and it is VITAL TO RECEIVE APPROPRIATE SLEEP to keep your muscles in the best shape possible. Sleep deprivation negatively influences the hormonal system, which is needed to use your muscles and help them recover following exertion. A lack of sleep diminishes blood circulation, which your body needs to facilitate the distribution of oxygen and nutrients needed for cells, tissues, muscles, and organs. It also undermines systems in the body that are partly responsible for the development and maintenance of muscles.
Even though I listed numerous side effects here, there are many more out there, but these are the main ones. I cannot stress the need for ordinary people to receive adequate sleep. When it comes to people with chronic conditions, it is even more necessary to fix your sleep schedule RIGHT AWAY. Recently I have slept more than I have ever in my life, and I felt significant differences in a week. I can promise you that sleep deprivation is a problem and is one of the world’s biggest killers. Please listen to this rally cry against sleep deprivation and SLEEP.
