With more that 70 million adults suffering from some form of a sleep disorder, it is no surprise that sleep has become a major health topic. A lack of sleep increases the risk of accident and injury, as well as health risks such as cancer, diabetes, glaucoma and early death. You may feel as though you can sleep later without paying any price now, but here are 4 things that can happen without sleep, according to The Huffington Post:
- You might become depressed: Sleep deprivation can both be a cause and result of depression. However, research does suggest that the risk of developing depression is the highest among people with sleep disorders.
- You may experience sleep paralysis: Although sleep paralysis is pretty common, usually infrequent and often temporary, its potential for doing harm is high. This “walking nightmare,” is caused by the disruption of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is in turn caused by insomnia, stress and anxiety.
- Your weight could go up: Sleep is directly linked to 3 hormones that control hunger. The hormone cortisol can make us look bloated, interfere with glucose levels, make is moody and expand waistlines. Hormones gherlin and leptin are responsible for stimulating and suppressing appetites, leading to bad food choices when we are tired.
- You might get sick: A lack of sleep lowers your immunity, increasing your chances for illness. A study that included 300 people who were given the rhino (cold) virus; it found that those who got less than 7.5 hours of sleep were much more susceptible to catching something.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get between 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Make sleep a priority for optimal performance levels and an overall better quality of life!
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