Sleep is a very vital part of health. Unfortunately, in our modern fast-paced world, it is glossed over as a luxury in most places. Some people even boast about how little sleep they get in a day and how many hours they work. Sleep deprivation has numerous negative effects on your body, including the following four negative effects.
1. Fatigue
This is the most obvious effect of sleep deprivation to you. If you do not sleep the recommended seven to eight hours a day, you may find yourself getting tired easily and quickly at work or for any other duty you plan to do. Your body regenerates itself when you sleep, repairing tissues that got damaged during the previous day while stocking up on energy and resources that you will need the following day. This does not happen if you do not get proper sleep.
2. Stress
When you sleep, your body releases chemicals and hormones that relax your muscles and mind. If you deprive yourself of sleep, the levels of hormones and chemicals needed to relax you are not released at adequate levels. You will find that you become irritable, angry and frustrated during the day.
3. Cardiovascular diseases
If you are not sleeping well, chances are that you are not eating well also. In fact, you may be eating more foods that are unhealthy to provide you energy for the extra hours during which you are awake. This in turn translates into more sugars and fats that are in your bloodstream, clogging up blood vessels and causing many cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, stroke, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, heart damage, heart attack etcetera, to develop. Numerous studies, such as the one conducted by Harvard Medical School, confirm this.
4. Cancer
Melatonin, a hormone released from the brain which helps regulate the levels of other hormones, has been shown to prevent some forms of cancer, including breast cancer and colon cancer. But this hormone is reduced when you are exposed to light; hence when you are awake, there are lower levels of melatonin in your body, increasing your chances of developing the cancers mentioned above. To further increase your melatonin levels, make sure that you sleep in a dark room and avoid using electronic devices before your bedtime.
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