The effects of sleep deprivation on our health part two – body troubles

The effects of sleep deprivation part two – what sleep deprivation does to our bodies

Sleepless nights are difficult for us. When we don’t get our seven plus hours of sleep, we find it hard to function in the day without caffeine boosts. As the period of sleeplessness continues, we find our moods plummeting. However, the stark reality of sleep deprivation is that our bodies suffer immensely the longer we go without a proper sleep cycle. Sleep is the period when our bodies and our minds can finally unburden themselves after long days.

We can be very arrogant when it comes to our sleeping patterns. Adults always believe that they are getting the right amount of sleep, never wanting to admit that we may have a sleep disorder. There seems to be a stigma attached to insomnia or sleep deprivation; so much so that we’re willing to let problems drag on until they become enormously stressful for us and start to affect our bodies.

The effects on our bodies:

Not getting any sleep at night has severe effects on our bodies and can have implications for your health if the problem goes on for too long. One of the first problems associated with sleep deprivation is aching muscles. The less sleep you get, the more tension builds up in your muscles and you’ll find that your muscles begin to ache under the strain. Headaches and migraines can then develop as your body begins to suffer more and more.

As time goes on, you will find that you suffer from periodic lapses in concentration. These lapses will then turn into a more frequent state of confusion with memory lapses that will make you very forgetful. Headaches can be brought on as a result of these and you can begin to hallucinate frequently. People have reported seeing cats or creatures that aren’t really there. These effects of sleep deprivation can appear similar to the onset of paranoid schizophrenia, so can seem very frightening if you’re under the strain of sleep deprivation.

There are some truly frightening physiological effects of sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep over a long period can increase your risk of diabetes and obesity. As your body succumbs to lack of sleep, it finds it increasingly difficult to metabolise your protein hormones and blood sugars. This builds up over time and puts you at risk of severe weight fluctuations and onset diabetes. These two factors are serious risks to your overall health in the future, as the weight can be difficult to shed and diabetes can have implications to your future life.

This is why Millbrook Contract Beds firmly believes that we all need seven or eight hours of sleep in order to operate at our best. People who sleep for less than six hours are at risk of developing sleep disorders over time. Take the time to set a regular sleeping time and wake up at the same time every day. This is the best way to guarantee that you’ll be at the top of your game every day.