We all know that sleep is an essential part of our lives. As a matter of fact, when we’re asleep, it’s the time of our lives when we grow; it’s the time when our bodies recover from the day that transpired. That is the reason why sleeping is an integral part of our overall routine. There are some people who have little sleep compared to others. A number of reasons could be taken out of this like the stress, work, or just plain sleep disorders. Are you a part of this demographic? if no, how can you be so sure?
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one (1) out of three (3) adults don’t get enough sleep. This means that around a third of our global population lack rest and could be experiencing fatigue and other conditions regularly.
Although you’re not experiencing this, you could be developing disorders yourself already. You might not be noticing but your body could possible be sending you signals about lack of sleep. No worries because we would be giving you sleep deprivation warning signs that your body might be telling you.
Your performance and productivity are affected
Chronic sleep deprivation not only affects your health, but external factors in your lives as well. Your ability to focus, reason, and to resolve might be slipping and you might not be noticing it. This is one common factor and effect of being sleep deprived. As a matter of fact, Insomnia, one of the more common sleep disorders, is causing an annual $63.2 billion in productivity loss, as per the Harvard Medical School. Our brains actually function when we’re sleeping. In fact, dreaming promotes memory consolidation, new learning, and better creativity, according to Center for Sleep and Cognition at Harvard Medical School Director Robert Stickgold.
A lot of people, especially students, have the habit of pulling an “all-nighter.” An all-nighter is basically, working until the morning without sleeping. This is actually not a preferrable habit because it prohibits your brain to function at its fullest. Instead, you can sleep or rest earlier and just do whatever you need to do when you wake up.
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Being moody is becoming normal
Have you ever experienced going on a day without having enough or decent sleep? What have you felt? Were nauseous and anxious about everything? Does a bit of a different thing irritate you? Well, this is because sleep is actually some sort of a vitamin for emotional health.
This is why people who are diagnosed with depression and anxiety have one thing in common: most of the mhave insomnia. If you’re living a stressful week, try sleeping better. A combination of stress and less sleeping is actually not going to help you.
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Hunger is a normal part of your cycle
Being hungry is felt by everyone. As a matter of fact, a few hours of not consuming anything can make your tummy grumble. However, there are people who always feel hungry; this is not normal. According to Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine owner, Chris Winter, the brain is defaulted to get the energy from food our bodies need if it doesn’t get enough sleep.
If the brain is not getting the energy it needs fro msleep, it will often try to get it from food. Moreover, when you’re not sleeping properly, you tend to eat more of what you’re craving because you’re not feeling the signals to stop eating.”
Ghrelin or the “gut hormone” can increase in production if you’re running low on rest. When this hormone is abundant in your system, your body will crave sugar and more fatty food.
You easily become sick
One of the most vital sleep deprivation warning signs is that your immune system suffers. What does this mean? Well, it only means that sickness is becoming frequent and regular. One perfect example is that a common cold easy-to-catch; and it’s a difficult thing to get rid of.
A research done by the Archives of Internal Medicine tracked the sleeping habits of exactly 153 people for fourteen (14) days straight. What they found was people who got less than seven (7) hours of sleep were early three (3) times as likely to develop colds than those who got eight (8) to nine (9) hours of rest each night.
One probable reason is because of the lack of cytokines. When we do not have enough sleep, the production of these cytokines are retarded and these are proteins which protect infection and prevent inflammation.
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Imagery troubles
Other than emotional troubles sleep deprivation causes, it can also have negative effects on your senses. Specifically, on your vision. This fact is actually interconnected to fatigue; since your body is not able to cope with the correct imagery, you won’t be able to properly control your eyes properly as well, as per Ophthalmologist in Berkley Mich, Steven Shanbom, MD.
When fatigued, you’re not able to control the muscles of the eye as well.”
The muscles under our eyes get tired too and having them open for the most part of the day tires them out. So, you would definitely have a hard time reading and in distinguishing details. This also correlated to the feeling of being fatigued and out-of-focus.
Your skin is not looking too good
Ever heard of the term “beauty sleep?” If yes, then most likely, you know how sleep affects your physical appearance. Being asleep repairs worn out skin cells naturally. This means that not having a good night’s sleep can disrupt the process of regeneration and rejuvenation.
The University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, found that recovery of the skin was thirty percent higher for those who had good-quality sleep than those who were sleep deprived. One of the more unnoticed sleep deprivation warning signs that most people tend to ignore. According to New York dermatologist Debra Jaliman, MD, breakouts, acne, and imbalanced hormones could happen if you lack sleep.
A lack of sleep upsets your hormonal balance and elevates circulating estrogen levels.”
Have you noticed yourself falling for any of these things lately? If yes, then you might have a problem with sleeping. These sleep deprivation warning signs aren’t just myths, they’re actually legitimate and they impose things that you might want to avoid because it can lead to a lot of negative things in your lives. Try to sleep early and better; who knows? Maybe a good night’s sleep is just what you need.
