7 Disadvantages of Sleep Deprivation
If you are waking up with red eyes, complete lack of energy, disorientation and a massive headache on a regular basis, you may be facing sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep is not as innocuous as it sounds. Sleep is amongst one of the most important processes of the body and lack of sleep can have a damaging effect. Here are a few disadvantages of sleep deprivation.
1. Physical fatigue and mental stress
Just like nutrition is important for your body, sleep is vital too. Many people take sleep for granted thinking that it is just another way to rest. But it is much more than that. When you sleep, your body starts the processes of cell renewal and muscle repair. This is the time that your brain synthesizes all the information received in the day. Sleep deprivation interrupts this process causing fatigue and stress the next day.
2. Weight gain
Sleep deprivation is known to slow down metabolism to a great extent because of which the process of digesting the sugars consumed during the day is interrupted. Lack of sleep also leads to increased hunger pangs at irregular hours because of which the body starts demanding more food than what it requires. All these factors lead to weight gain.
3. Slow cognition
Sleep is the time when the body forms memories from the data gathered during the day. So when a person does not get enough sleep, these cognitive procedures are hampered and they make the brain less sharper the next day. If you feel forgetful and disoriented in the morning, it is because of lack of sleep the previous night.
4. Damaged skin
It is commonly seen that people who do not get enough sleep wake up with dark and blotchy circles beneath their eyes the next morning. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body release excess amount of a hormone called cortisone. This hormone breaks down collagen in your skin which is responsible for keeping it smooth and full of luster.
