Sleep…Do
you get the 7 hours recommended each night or are you like a lot of people who
are burning the candle at both ends? Are you staying up late trying to fit in
one more show or maybe caught up in a book or the worries of the next day? Have
you ever stopped and thought “I’m I getting enough sleep?” We’ll I’m sure if
you’ll take a few seconds to listen to your body you will know the answer to
that question fast with things like yawning, irritability, and fatigue.
But incase you need a little hint about what else to look for here’s a great
list of the effects of lack of sleep:
- Sleep
Loss Dumbs You Down
Sleep plays a critical role in thinking and learning. Lack of sleep hurts
these cognitive processes in many ways. First, it impairs attention, alertness,
concentration, reasoning, and problem solving. This makes it more difficult to
learn efficiently. Second, during the night, various sleep cycles play a role
in “consolidating” memories in the mind. If you don’t get enough sleep, you
won’t be able to remember what you learned and experienced during the day.
2. Sleep Deprivation Can Lead to
Serious Health Problems
Sleep disorders and chronic sleep loss can put you
at risk for:
·
Heart disease
·
Heart attack
·
Heart failure
·
Irregular heartbeat
·
High blood pressure
·
Stroke
·
Diabetes
According to some estimates, 90% of people with
insomnia also have another health condition.
- Lack of
Sleep Causes Obesity
Along with eating too much and not exercising,
sleep deprivation is another risk factor for becoming overweight and obesity.
Sleep affects the levels of two hormones, leptin and ghrelin, which control
feelings of hunger and fullness. According to a 2004 study, people who sleep
less than six hours a day were almost 30 percent more likely to become obese
than those who slept seven to nine hours.
- Sleep Loss Impairs Judgment
Lack of sleep can affect our interpretation of
events. This hurts our ability to make sound judgments because we may not
assess situations accurately and act on them wisely.
Thank you,
Wenona Mertens
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