HOW THE BODY IS AFFECTED BY SLEEP DEPRIVATION
Sleep deprivation is becoming a common phenomenon, as many people sacrifice their sleeping hours for work, studies, and family obligations. What many may not know is that lack of adequate, quality sleep may affect one’s body. We attempt to find out in this article.
It’s Official: Most People Don’t Get Enough Sleep
Most people find it a challenge getting quality nightly sleep oblivious to the fact that lack of adequate sleep has negative consequences. The United States alone has between 50 and 70 million adults who face sleep difficulties.
Over time, lack of adequate sleep has been found to cause weight gain, increased risk of injury, and worse memory, among others. About 6,000 cases of fatal car crashes linked to drowsy driving are reported each year (source).
What is sleep deprivation?
Sleeping is categorized among basic human needs, such as eating, breathing, and drinking. Like any of the other basic needs, everyone requires enough sleep throughout their lifetime for well-being and good health. Sleep deprivation refers to a condition that one develops as a result of not getting enough sleep.
- Sleep deficiency
On the other hand, sleep deficiency refers to a much broader concept. It occurs when one exhibits at least one of the following: sleep deprivation, poor sleeping pattern, poor sleep, and a sleeping disorder that may be hindering quality sleep (source).
- How much is enough sleep?
The amount of sleep one needs each day changes over the course of their life. Sleep needs do vary from one person to the other. However, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recently came up with recommendations that the American Academy of (AAP) also endorsed (source).
According to AASM, adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep a day. Teenagers aged between 13 and 18 years and children aged between six and 12 years need eight to 10 hours and nine to 12 hours of daily sleep, respectively. Infants aged between four and 12 months need to sleep for 12 to 16 hours daily, while children aged between one and two years need between 11 and 14 hours of sleep. Finally, three-year-olds to five-year-olds need between 10 and 13 hours of sleep a day. In addition to the recommended hours, children below the age of five also need naps (source).
- How much sleep do I need?
AASM’s recommendations notwithstanding, individuals need to find out how much sleep they need and then work towards achieving it. Generally, if one wakes up feeling tired and spends the day looking forward to a chance to nap, they’re likely not getting adequate sleep (source).
Various factors have been linked to poor sleep, including medical conditions such as insomnia, parasomnia, restless leg syndrome, and sleep apnea (source). However, bad sleeping habits have been identified as the leading cause of poor sleep.
- Sleep deprivation symptoms
Sleep deprivation, be it acute or chronic, can cause noticeable symptoms. They include disruption in sleep patterns, excessive daytime sleepiness, mood swings, and cognitive problems (source).
Effects of Lack of Sleep on the Brain
Sleep deprivation is known to increase one’s risk of developing dementia by 33 percent. Sleep-deprived people are at a higher risk of depression, fuzzy thinking, forgetfulness, anxiety, and irritability. Further, sleep deprivation is known to age one’s brain by between three and five years. Additionally, sleep deficiency affects one’s mood, concentration, performance, and ability to form memories (source).
According to Aaron Kandola’s article published in Medical News Today, insufficient sleep may cause irritability, drowsiness, feelings of anxiety and depression, inability to concentrate, and microsleeps (where one briefly falls asleep while awake) (source). Brett Klika, in his article published in Ace Fitness, noted that “From a day-to-day standpoint, lack of sleep can impair coordination and short-term memory while increasing the negative impact of stress” (source).
Sarah G. Miller, in her post in Live Science, pointed out other mental problems related to lack of sleep. The first is an emotions askew, where she argues that the brain doesn’t function well when it’s deprived of sleep. The affected person finds it a challenge showing positive emotions in their faces.
The second mental problem is frequent microsleeps where the victim falls into brief sleep sessions when awake, a condition she warns can be very dangerous when driving. The third one is delirium, a condition where one is completely disoriented due to a lack of enough sleep. The fourth problem is hallucinations, where one sees things that aren’t there. This is usually a result of chronic sleep deprivation (source).
Weight Problems
One of the leading causes of obesity in the US is the lack of enough quality sleep. Many people have a decreased number of hours that they sleep each day. The link between sleep deprivation and obesity appears most pronounced among middle-aged and young adults (source).
Sleep deprivation contributes to weight problems and obesity. Without enough sleep, the hormones responsible for regulating appetite are thrown off, leaving the body unable to manage hunger as per the actual calorie intake. Consequently, poor sleepers tend to increase their consumption of calories and decrease their energy expenditure. This, together with metabolic changes as a result of inadequate sleep, causes weight gain (source).
Similarly, sleep-deprived people tend to develop a craving for sweet, starchy foods as well as salty ones. They have higher levels of ghrelin — commonly known as the hunger hormone — and lower levels of leptin, the hormone that helps in controlling appetite. People whose average sleep time is less than five hours a night increase their risk of developing obesity by about 50 percent.
Increased Risk of Heart Disease and Diabetes
Compared to people who get regular, quality, nightly sleep, poor sleepers are three times more likely to end up with type 2 diabetes. Further, they’ve been found to have less active immunity protectors, commonly referred to as natural killer cells. Also, their risk of developing heart disease has been found to increase by 48 percent, and are three times more likely to catch a cold (source).
Janissa Delzo, in her post published in News Week in 2018, notes that lack of sleep or too much of it affects one’s mood and can “increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions” (source). Similarly, Julian Vigo, in her article published in Forbes in 2019, reports that sleep deficiency brings with it many health complications, including “increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes” (source). Additionally, Leah Campbell, in her article published in Healthline in October 2018, notes that lack of enough sleep significantly increases one’s risk of “slowed reaction times, irritability, anxiety, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes” (source).
Higher Risk of Certain Cancers and Skin Ageing
People who don’t sleep enough increase their chances of developing colorectal cancer by 36 percent. Additionally, according to Kevin Loria’s article published in the Business Insider, sleep deprivation increases the risk of developing certain cancers (source). The most notable ones are breast and colon cancers (source).
Moreover, when one is tired, the skin doesn’t seem to heal well from damage. This leads to skin aging. Research from the University of Wisconsin found that sleep deprivation is closely linked to chronic skin problems. A similar study from the University Hospital Case Medical Center found that poor sleepers’ skin doesn’t heal well whenever it’s damaged by the sun and other factors. Such people are left with more signs of skin aging than before.
Avoiding Sleep Deprivation
As pointed out, avoiding sleep deprivation has many benefits in the long run. Below are some of the ways to prevent sleep deprivation.
- Creating a Sleep Sanctuary
Creating a sanctuary of sorts and reserving it for sleep and intimacy, as well as other restful activities like meditation and pleasure reading, can help avoid sleep deficiency. The sanctuary should be devoid of diversions such as television, Blackberry, and computer (source).
- Napping Only If Necessary
Although naps can help one to supplement the hours of sleep missed at night, they should be avoided. They throw one’s sleep schedule into disarray as they interfere with the ability to sleep at night (source).
- Avoiding Afternoon Caffeine and Going Light on Alcohol
As a stimulant, caffeine may keep the body too alert for sleep while alcohol interferes with rapid eye movement sleep.
- Regular Exercises
Regular exercises improve one’s sleep quality. However, these exercises should not fall within three hours of one’s bedtime (source).
Coping Strategies
The surest way to overcome sleep deficiency is by increasing nightly sleep to a level that satisfies one’s biological sleep need. Stimulants and naps are only a short-term strategy to keep one awake and alert (source). One must observe caution as too much use of stimulants can cause tolerance and addiction.
Managing Sleep Deprivation
One sure way to get quality and sufficient nightly sleep is to stick to a consistent schedule. That means going to bed at waking up at the same time daily. The best way to reset the body’s clock naturally is waking up at sunrise. Additionally, the bedroom temperature shouldn’t be too cold or hot as this can disrupt sleep (source).