We have long been told that we need eight hours of sleep per day so our body can repair itself. But current information suggests that most people probably do not need the full 8 hours of sleep. We only need “quality sleep”.
Have You Ever Notice Your Sleep Quality?
- How do you feel when you wake up in the morning: refreshing or still drowsy and need more sleep?
- Are you sleepy during the day?
- If you can take a nap in the afternoon, you fall asleep withing 5 minutes.
Sleep deficiency definitely affects your body and mind. One sleepless night may not have any affect on you. It might make you drowsy during the day. But when you have a good night sleep, your body will recover and you will feel refreshed in the morning. But if you have many sleep-deprived nights, it will eventually pile up.
Effects of Sleep Deficiency on Body and Mind
- Exhaustion:
You will not have enough sleep to recharge your body in the morning. It was said that in 100% of our energy, 70% is recirculated while another 30% is reserved for sickness or emergency, as well as sleeplessness. Therefore, if you have a couples of sleepless nights, you may not feel anything yet. But, over time, this remaining 30% energy will be depleted and you will experience the obvious effects.
- Obesity:
Because of metabolism disorder, blood sugar is not being converted sufficiently. The patient will eat more similarly to diabetes type 2. If we are awake longer, we require more energy and so we want to eat even more, causing a vicious cycle. Studies have shown that more often enough, obesity occurs in young people or middle age people who lack sleep than older people. Watching late night TV has been found to contribute to craving another meal or snacks, thereby adding more to the risk of obesity.
- Slow Growth, Especially in Children
Since the growth hormone is being released less and the immune system is being disturbed, children may experience illness more often or more severe, even resulting in mortality from lack of sleep.
- Lack Of Sleep Can Lead To Ischemic Stroke
Studies have shown that a number of people who have headaches and memory loss also have ischemic stroke as shown by brain X-ray. Medical history also shows that most also have a history of lack of sleep. Once they get enough sleep, their condition improves.
- Decline in Learning Ability
Lack of sleep has an effect on the cerebral learning center. For example, prefrontal cortex will have poorer verbal learning tasks. The temporal lobe will have slower language processing.
- Dozing Off During The Day
The thalamus in people who are sleep-deprived tend to temporarily rests shortly, maybe in seconds or half a minute. So we will shutdown from the rest of the world or become less responsive. It is some times known as dozing off or falling asleep at the wheels, which can be very dangerous if driving or operating machinery that requires rapid response or precision.
- Psychosis
Extreme sleep deprivation can cause psychosis, such as hearing things, paranoia, or biopolar disorder. You may be more lively than usual or more depressed than usual. It can also cause irritability or mood swings depending on the severity of the lack of sleep.
The best treatment for sleep deprivation is to sleep more. Take some time to rest more before you feel the effects of sleep deprivation. If you need to stay awake more, find some time to make up for it. You will feel better all by yourself by just modifying your sleep habits without any type of medical intervention.