Getting a good night’s sleep is the best way to feel refreshed in the morning. Sometimes it’s not possible to sleep a full seven to eight hours. College students, new parents, and those with a full plate at work often find themselves sleep-deprived.
You might wonder how much rest a person needs to function at their best?
According to the Sleep Foundation, healthy adults require seven to nine hours of sleep nightly. Individuals over the age of 65 should sleep between seven to eight hours of sleep.
Babies and toddlers spend most of the day sleeping; it helps their development and growth. Once children enter school, they can get by with nine to 11 hours of sleep. Teenagers benefit from sleeping up to 10 hours daily.
Shuteye allows the body to rest. More importantly, it helps the brain recharge. As you snooze, your brain’s neurons recuperate. Otherwise, they become tired. Overworked neurons lead to decreased productivity and bouts of paranoia.
In addition, sleeping less than the optimal amount for several nights in a row leads to premature signs of aging. Incorporate natural alternatives to help your circadian rhythm. Know more about essential oil for insomnia here.
The following are seven surprising effects of not getting enough sleep.
1. Weight Gain
Weight gain is a surprising side effect of not getting enough sleep at night.
It’s not just sitting all day and eating too much fast food that causes the public to gain pounds.
The components of your body work in harmony. It’s an impressive work of engineering, even though it’s not a machine.
Without enough sleep, the body produces less leptin, and the presence of ghrelin increases. The combination leads to weight gain.
Leptin tells your brain to stop eating. The longer a person is awake, the more they’re likely to eat.
Plus, a lack of rest causes the metabolism to run sluggish.
To stay in good shape, sleep the recommended amount for your age.
2. Teeth Grinding
When the body is not fully rested, it expresses the need for rest in odd ways. For example, an eye might twitch or your limbs might jolt suddenly.
Another common sign of lack of rest is teeth grinding. The body is so tired that it attempts to overcompensate in different ways.
Those who start grinding their teeth, add additional negative effects to the situation such as:
- Tooth sensitivity
- Tooth height loss
- Morning headaches
- Jaw disorders
Your dentist can spot symptoms of teeth grinding during your cleanings.
While you figure out how to get your sleep patterns back on track, consider obtaining a custom nightguard to prevent damage to your teeth. Click here to read more about night guards.
3. High Blood Pressure
Another reason why some people have a tough time sleeping is that they experience sleep apnea. During sleep, the condition causes the affected to breathe in spurts instead of continuously.
Plus, they snore so loudly that it disrupts their ability to sleep a full night.
After little to no sleep, individuals will experience a spike in their blood pressure the following day. High blood pressure combined with other conditions such as diabetes and high cholesterol becomes a ticking time bomb for a stroke, heart attack, and death.
The medical research community believes that hormones require as much rest as the rest of the body. Without rest, hormones experience elevation.
In addition, not sleeping enough lowers immunity. Thus, individuals can get sick more easily.
At a time when improving immunity is a must, sleeping is an easy way to improve it.
4. Depression
Sleep deprivation can lead to extreme mood swings.
Since you’re not sleeping, you have more time to think and worry. Things look different in the middle of the night when it’s dark. There is no daylight to help people regain their optimism and hope.
Although the sounds of life dim down at night, it sets up an environment to overthink.
Some people want the darkness to abuse themselves mentally over mistakes they have committed. It can also lead to increased drug and alcohol abuse.
One solution is to participate in physical activities daily. Whether you opt for Boot Camp, indoor cycling, or yoga classes, the goal is to create more natural dopamine and endorphins.
Wearing out your body during the daytime can help you fall asleep more soundly at night and prevent depression.
5. Age Faster
The makeup industry is almost recession-proof. People’s desire to remain youthful-looking keeps the industry in good shape.
A solid sleep routine is one way to keep the years at arm’s length. Not resting enough causes individuals to age faster. The lack of rest throws the body off-kilter.
Without enough rest, the skin loses moisture and elasticity. Dry skin wrinkles faster. Moreover, skin all the body cannot repair itself so it experiences inflammation.
Thus, individuals look older and tired. The bags under the eyes say it all.
Premature aging also shortens your life expectancy.
Don’t start worrying about the cycle of life. Instead, improve your bedtime routine so that you remain young looking.
6. Memory Loss
Lacking shut-eye leads to cognitive impairment. Research shows that individuals have trouble learning new things and making decisions. In addition, it results in memory loss.
It won’t lead to permanent memory loss such as dementia or Alzheimers. However, not sleeping enough can put you on the path in that direction.
If you can’t remember things in the short term, you’ll lose productivity. To cure it, start sleeping more.
7. Bouts of Paranoia
When lack of sleep becomes insomnia, individuals will experience bouts of paranoia. The good news is that it’s possible to take action before the condition gets this far.
Depression and anxiety predict paranoid episodes before they occur.
A person who experiences paranoia believes that something or someone wants to hurt them. No evidence exists to prove the belief. Nonetheless, they imagine or hallucinate the threat.
Conclusion
The adult body requires six to eight hours of rest. Establishing a sleep schedule is one way to obtain the optimal amount of rest. Adults benefit from a bedtime routine the same children do. Therefore, avoid the surprising effects of not sleeping enough and take care of your health.