10 Ways Sleep Deprivation Affects Your Health

disturbances including
Blurred vision Memory lapse Poor reaction time Drooping eyelids.
Sleep deprivation over the lifespan also increases the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Sleep helps clear neurotoxins from the brain that can lead to Alzheimers disease explains Dr. FoldvarySchaefer.
Poor balance and coordination
If youre stumbling through the day with less than seven hours of sleep under your belt chances are you can start to feel a little drowsy. This drowsiness and lightheadedness can throw off your balance putting you at risk for accidents falls and injuries.
Higher risk of getting sick
Your immune system has an important job and it needs you to get plenty of rest so it can keep running smoothly.
If youre burning the candle at both ends your immune system can weaken over time. Especially after consecutive days of not getting a good amount of sleep you may start to become more susceptible to certain illnesses. Plus as lack of sleep affects your immune systems ability to fight against foreign illnesses it may take you longer to recover from things like the cold or flu.
Risk of heart disease
Another side effect of sleep deprivation is poor heart health. A 2010 study found that hypertension high blood pressure was associated with a lack of sleep in certain individuals. An earlier research study also found that women who slept less than seven hours per night were more likely to suffer coronary events than women who got eight hours of ZZZs nightly.
Plus untreated sleep apnea is associated with hypertension cardiac arrhythmias and stroke.
You might develop prediabetes
Your blood sugar may suffer from loss of sleep too. Sleep deprivation can cause impaired glucose tolerance or higher than normal blood sugar levels.
Weight gain
Its common for you to feel hungrier especially for sweets and snacks because of sleep deprivation. Why? Research shows that lack of sleep can alter key hormone levels ghrelin leptin and cortisol in your body.
High stress levels
Feeling like youre always on the edge? Unsurprisingly losing sleep affects your stress levels as well. Lack of sleep can cause elevated cortisol or stress hormone levels. On the other hand a good nights sleep naturally reduces cortisol levels in your body.
May cause issues to your thyroid or hormones
In order for your body to properly produce hormones through your endocrine system it needs to get plenty or rest. Sleep deprivation can cause abnormal thyroid function and growth hormone secretion specifically for kids and young adults.
Prioritize getting good sleep
With so
many ways sleep can impact your health its easy to see why getting enough rest each night should be a top priority. Learn more about how much sleep you need based on your age plus some simple tips to sleep better.