Sleeping Lately? This Is How Lack Of Sleep Affects Health
There are many causes why you may be feeling tired and anxious lately. One of them is lack of sleep. Even though sleeping seems to often be underrated when it comes to a healthy lifestyle by university students in particular, who often sacrifice sleep for a night out, essay writing or studying for exams. However, it is important to mention that a sleep-deprived lifestyle doesn’t necessarily improve your GPA nor your concentration in class. You may be used to revising material for an exam a few nights before, but that is rarely a solution. There is such a thing as information overload, and that will only make it more difficult for you to give precise answers on your exam the next day. It’s wiser to get enough sleep and wake up earlier in the day to continue your revision session, rather than pulling all-nighters. The following list includes six reasons further explaining how lack of sleep affects health, work, and school performance.
Increases Risk For Physical Problems
Sleep deprivation increases the risk for developing physical conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. This can happen because lack of sleep causes the body to produce higher levels of insulin after you eat. As a consequence, this does not only increase fat storage in your body, but also increase the risk for developing type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, sleep deprivation also increases levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), which releases stress and inflammation. High levels of CRP can lead to heart disease.
Worsened Mood Patterns
Lack of sleep leads to mood swings. Poor sleep increases levels of stress and anxiety, whereas a healthy body comes with nights of quality sleep!
Clouded Thinking and Concentration
Everyone has gone through sleep-deprived days for various reasons. And we all know that we don’t feel our best when we are not well-rested. On such days it is difficult to focus, stay alert, and be attentive. Therefore, it is crucial to get those hours of sleep in, in order to perform well on a daily basis!
Impaired Memory
Lack of sleep affects both short and long-term memory. It does so in two ways: 1) It weakens your ability to absorb new information; and 2) makes you more forgetful. Think of sleep as a memory-boosting activity!
Lowers Sex Drive
Wondering how lack of sleep affects health? The biggest is with sex, which requires energy and stamina. Sleep-deprivation weakens your immune system, and can often be detrimental to intimacy in a relationship.
Weight Gain
Sleep-deprivation can also lead to weight gain. One reason is that you feel hungrier on days with lack of sleep, which in turn, leads to eating more unhealthy foods.
