If you have been spending nights tossing and turning, it is already clear your next day is going to be exhausted and tiring, no matter if you double the intake of caffeine or sugar to fight relentless phases of yawns, stress, and fatigue. Sleep experts reveal that if you are missing out on the recommended 7 to 9 sleep, you are likely to face long-term effects of severe sleep deprivation. That is to say; it will drain your cognitive abilities while putting your physical health at risk. Recent studies conducted on sleep deprivation link poor circadian rhythm and sleep cycle with different health problems like:
- Weak immune system
- Mood changes
- Hypertension
- Poor balance
- Obesity
It is essential that you start analyzing your sleeping habits if you really do not want to worsen your mental and physical health. Sleep has to be given more priority as it is equally important to your health and wellbeing just like water and food. Additionally, sleeping on time and waking up on time comes with a slew of beauty benefits from enhancing the glow of your skin to trimming your waistline.
To help you out with that, we have rounded up few common signs you need to ponder over to assess if you are suffering from chronic sleep deprivation.
Increased Appetite
Dr. Chris Winter, CEO of Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine, Virginia, states that your brain tricks you in a number of ways, and replaces its energy sources without indicating you. If you are incessantly feeling drained due to lack of quality sleep, it disrupts your hormone levels and changes your appetite. Running low on sleep will increase the levels of ghrelin produced by your body, which stimulates hunger hormones and triggers your appetite. Hence, if you crave for sugary pick-me-ups and fatty food, it is high time to evaluate your sleep habits.
Weight Gain
This is another unpleasant symptom you might notice if you are unable to take a proper sleep. Weight gain comes with increased appetite. When your body feels tired and fatigued, it looks for the things that can satisfy its appetite and help it feel more conscious and active.
With leptin and ghrelin already stimulated, your body starts craving sweet and fried delicacies so that you can get through the day. Thus, these changes in your metabolism widen your waistline and gain your weight.
Increased Impulsiveness
Exhaustion comes with impulsive reflexes – psychologists link sleep deprivation with mood swings and lower tolerance level. Enduring this, you may find yourself ranting out at your spouse or your co-worker over trivial and insignificant matters. Thus, you become less inhibited and that make you that make you indulge in an unwanted argument.
Memory Problems
It is undeniably crucial for your brain to get decent sleep to help your brain eradicate toxic molecules. If you are sleep deprived, it is less likely that you pay a whole lot of attention to the things happening around you. According to National Institutes of Health, sleep deprivation impairs the brain’s ability to remember things ultimately combating long-term memory function.
To crown it all, sleep deprivation is a serious problem that needs to be taken into account for a healthy well-being.