The Effects of Sleep Deprivation

A person hitting the snooze button every morning in order to wake up on time is more than likely, suffering from sleep deprivation. It is a problem that can cause harm to the body and personality. Some of the most common health issues a person will endure is cognitive deficiencies, hypertension and weight gain. It has even been argued that sleep deprivation can affect you just as much as being drunk.
Unfortunately, with lack of sleep come many unwanted side effects, including impaired cognitive skills needed to function on a daily basis. Depriving the body of necessary rest can and will diminish the brain’s capability of concentrating, henceforth making sound decisions. Sleep deprivation has also been known to impair a persons’ response speed, including perception functions. Being able to react quickly is a crucial skill needed when driving, especially if something jumps in front of your car and you need to come to a screeching halt. In addition to cognitive deficiencies, not allowing the body to get an adequate amount of sleep can cause hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. Chronic sleep deprivation effects on blood pressure are a scientific fact. If you consistently have poor sleep and you have high blood pressure, you are putting undue pressure on your heart and blood vessels. This dangerously increases your risk for heart disease and premature death. Moreover, if you do not have high blood pressure, but suffer from sleep deprivation several nights a week, you are putting yourself at a higher risk of developing high blood pressure. Delayed correction of sleep deprivation can also inhibit your body from being able to break down sugar leading to obesity and diabetes.
Just like abnormal sleep cycles negatively affects the body’s blood pressure it also can cause weight gain. Lack of shut-eye could be behind those unforeseen pounds mysteriously packed on. When an individual is sleep deprived, over time, the body will have hormone changes in your brain that causes the body to believe it is hungry. Due to this, a person will eat more and will force the body over time to store fat; thus causing weight gain. Irregular sleep patterns coupled with eating more equals a dangerous formula for diabetes and obesity.
In essence, getting enough sleep will play an integral part in how the body functions daily. It has been said that an individual should get at least seven to eight hours of sleep nightly to ensure the body is well rested. If one does not get adequate or good quality sleep, their health can be negatively affected. The simplest way to avoid the adverse effects of sleep deprivation would be to make a positive change in lifestyle.