A good night’s sleep will keep you in good shape and in a good mood the next day.
A good diet and a good night’s sleep are essential for a healthy lifestyle.
Sleep makes the body not only happy, but also healthy. When it comes to sleeping, most organs and cells in the body are sluggish, breathing in heart and nervous system. Blood pressure and skeletal muscle tone will be reduced.
According to a study , it was shown that even a small shortfall of sleep – less than six hours a night for a week – interfered directly to more than 700 genes in our body.
For some time now, lack of sleep has become an epidemic in our society.
When we sleep well, we are more productive, healthier, and we feel better. Yet most of the time we struggle to finish what we need to do in the day, and we end up finishing late or waking up early to do it all.
The National Sleep Foundation published a report on recommendations for the number of hours of sleep that are needed based on age.
The new recommendations are as follows:
- People over 65: 7-8 hours
- Adults 26-64 years old: 7-9 hours
- Young adults aged 18-25: 7-9 hours
- Adolescents aged 14-17: 8-10 hours
- School-aged children 6-13 years old: 9-11 hours
- 3-5 year old preschoolers: 10-13 hours
- Toddlers aged 1-2: 11-14 hours
- Infants 4-11 months: 12-15 hours
- Newborns 0-3 months: 14-17 hours
Sometimes getting enough sleep is not an option, such as when someone is sick and needs medical care, or has to attend events that are scheduled. So what happens to your body when you don’t get enough sleep?
A team of Norwegian neuroscientists sought to answer this question. They found that lack of sleep can change the white matter in our brains, and other studies have shown that this can interfere with our genes.
But fortunately, our body is able to repair itself. When we have restful sleep after a bad night’s sleep, our bodies can repair the change in the white matter in the brain. But chronic sleep deprivation can have long-term effects.
Our brains aren’t the only one that suffers when we don’t get enough sleep. Here are 8 effects of lack of sleep:
After a while…
THE NUMBER OF SPERMATOZOIDS WOULD BE REDUCED
Besides the obvious fact that being tired affects your libido, it also has a great impact on fertility. A 2013 American Journal of Epidemiology study of 953 young men from Denmark found that those with severe sleep disturbances had a 29% lower sperm concentration.
WE GAIN WEIGHT
A 3-year study of more than 21,000 adults evaluated the link between sleep and weight. She found that people who slept on average less than five hours a night were not only more likely to gain weight, but were also more likely to become obese.
WE ARE MORE EXPOSED TO CERTAIN PROBLEMS
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine released a statement associating lack of sleep with higher rates of certain problems.
WE HAVE LESS INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS
The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study which found that men who slept less than five hours per night in a period of a week had 15% lower testosterone levels than men who got enough sleep.
WE ARE AGING PHYSICALLY FASTER
A study of the sleep patterns and skin condition of people between the ages of 30 and 50 found that those who suffered from a lack of sleep noticed the effects on their skin and were more likely to be dissatisfied with their appearance. They noticed more wrinkles, fine lines, age spots and a lack of elasticity in the skin.
WE WEAKEN OUR HEART
Lack of sleep can have a negative impact on heart health. A recent analysis published in the European Heart Journal states that the risks of heart disease and stroke increase when we don’t get enough sleep.
WE TEND TO FORGET THINGS EASILY
Researchers have learned that our brains consolidate things when we sleep. When we don’t get enough sleep, our brain cannot do its job, and our memory suffers.
OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM IS WEAKER
Some studies show that there is a direct link between the immune system and our sleep. When we lack sleep, our bodies have a harder time fighting disease.
WE HAVE MORE HARD TO THINK
Experimental Brain Research published a study showing that insufficient sleep contributes to poor decision-making, poor reasoning, and decreased problem-solving skills and slower reaction times to specific tasks.
Sleep isn’t just about appearance, although those are the benefits of a good night’s sleep. We are not exaggerating when we say that sleeping well can save our life.
