Adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a day; a sleep deficit could be responsible for a whole lot of problems. Our hurried (and harried) lifestyles, overscheduled days and long working hours exhaust us, disrupt our bodily systems and do not leave us time to get a good rest, upping risk of a host of troubles such as:
Obesity
research has shown that the hormones ghrelin and leptin are responsible for the feeling of fullness or satiety that comes after eating a meal. When the body is sleep deprived, it is likely to unbalance the production of these hormones and consequently one may overeat, leading to the pounds piling on.
Health problems
Fasting glucose impairment or pre-diabetes has been seen to be a problem with those who get less than 6 hours of sleep a night. People who get less sleep than they need are also at increased risk of heart disease and high blood pressure (hypertension).
Impact on the brain
In addition, the brain is also negatively impacted when one is sleep deprived. There is even a link found between sleep deprivation and the plaque accumulation in the brain that leads to Alzheimer’s disease.
Sleep deprivation also increases a person’s risk for certain addictions such as alcohol and drug abuse. One is also more at risk of suffering mood swings, depression and other mental problems due to sleep deprivation.
Impact on the immune system
The immune system itself is negatively impacted when one is sleep deprived making the body more susceptible to infections and to falling ill. Since resistance to disease and immunity is lowered significantly with sleep deprivation, the body is vulnerable to all kinds of illnesses.
Impact on fitness levels
When one has not had adequate sleep at night one is likely to feel listless, lethargic and less energetic during the day.
If you find yourself nodding off at your desk when at work, you are hardly likely to have the vim and vigor to go hit the gym later in the day or to pull yourself out of bed early in the morning to go for that jog.
Since one will be too tired to engage in the requisite activity levels needed for fitness; it becomes a kind of vicious circle: too tired to work out and therefore lower energy and fitness levels, which causes further deterioration in ones general health and fitness. So make the effort and get that sleep.
