The Debilitating Effects of Sleep Deprivation
How important is sleep? According to the Sleep Research Society, there is increased evidence that both short and long duration of habitual sleep can cause adverse health outcomes like disease, mortality, and other conditions, chronic or otherwise. Furthermore, the study showed that those who slept less than six hours per night on average were 12 percent more likely to experience premature death. Comparatively, those who slept more than eight hours a night on average increased their odds of premature death up to 30 percent.
In this post, we’ll be sharing the debilitating effects of sleep deprivation on your body, which means we’ll be discussing how people with less than six hours of sleep experience the negative effects related to lack of deep, restful sleep. Already convinced it’s time to take your sleep seriously? Shop our organic bedding and pillows now! While you wait for your order, read this post to learn more about sleep deprivation.
What Is Sleep Deprivation?
Put simply, sleep deprivation is when an individual gets less sleep than they need to feel awake and alert. People do vary in how little or much sleep they need to be in a state of alertness considered awake. It’s also been shown that some adults are more resistant to sleep deprivation effects. Nonetheless, studies continue to show that the average human needs at least seven hours of proper sleep to function effectively while they’re awake.
11 Debilitating Sleep Deprivation Effects
- Memory Issues – While you sleep, your brain forms connections and compresses the days experiences. This is how you create memories. Without proper sleep, you can begin to experience memory issues related to memory loss or a more difficult time forming memories.
- Difficulty Thinking and Concentrating – Problem solving skills, concentration, creativity, and other brain functions slow or have difficulty processing when you don’t get enough sleep. This decrease in brain function can affect all parts of your life.
- Mood Swings – Lack of sleep directly affects your mood. In mild sleep deprivation, you may have mild mood swings, irritability, or a quick-temper. Serious sleep deprivation can lead to debilitating conditions like depression or anxiety.
- Frequent Accidents – When you’re drowsy, your brain is not functioning properly. This can lead to more frequent accidents like dropping the milk or rear-ending the car in front of you while in traffic.
- Weakened Immune System – Your immune system relies on your sleep to rejuvenate. With a weakened immune system, you’re more likely to get sick or develop more serious health conditions that take more than “catching up on sleep” or a round of antibiotics.
- High Blood Pressure – If you get anything less than six to five hours of sleep at night, you increase your chance to develop high blood pressure. Due to the restorative properties, sleep helps you regulate bodily functions throughout the day. Less sleep leads to a less healthy body.
- Increased Diabetes Risk – Lack of sleep affects your insulin regulation. The less sleep you get, the more difficult it is for for your body to regulate blood-sugar levels. Thus, lack of sleep increases chance of type 2 diabetes.
- Increased Weight Gain – When you lack sleep, the signals your body uses to signal you that you’ve eaten enough have trouble functioning properly. This can lead to overeating, which then leads to weight gain.
- Decreased Libido – If you’re not sleeping well enough, your sex drive can decrease, which means less intimacy with your partner. There are numerous studies on the benefits of regular sex with a partner, and some of them can be directly tied to quality of sleep.
- Increased Heart Disease Risk – Lack of sleep can lead to hypertension. This condition increases the chance of cardiovascular disease. Your sleep is directly tied to how well your heart functions.
- Decreased Coordination – Sleep deprivation can lead to balance and coordination issues, which make you more prone to stumbling, tripping, or falling.
How Organic Bedding Helps You Sleep
Most don’t consider this, but how healthy is your bed? Humans spend on average a third of their life sleeping. Most sleep on a bed. How clean is that bed? Is your bed promoting your health or deteriorating it? Your bed has a direct impact on the health of your life. Here are three benefits to using organic bedding:
- Improved Sleep – A good night’s rest is one of the most important factors to improve health in the average human. Organic bedding promotes better sleep thus promoting better health.
- Improved Health – If you sleep well, your health improves. The link between sleep and health are direct. Sleep deprivation, as shown in this post, can wreak havoc on your life. Get a better night sleep with organic bedding.
- Thermoregulation – Closely linked to sleep quality is your body’s ability to regulate its temperature while you sleep. As you fall asleep, your core body temperature decreases, and organic bedding helps achieve equilibrium between body and environment.
Shop Organic Bedding Products Now!
It’s time you take your sleep seriously. Sleep Organics offers organic bedding products like organic pillows, organic sheets, and more to help improve your sleep quality. Find a better quality of sleep when you choose us. Shop online now!