If you have one bad night’s sleep, you may be able to recover relatively quickly. If sleep is but a distant memory, however, you’ve got problems. No matter what the cause of your sleep deprivation — obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, or just a series of late nights — you can count on one thing: You’ll pay with your health. At the TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre, we want you to realize just how dangerous chronic sleep deprivation can be. Here are just a few ways your body is affected when you miss out on sleep:
- You’ll experience problems with memory and concentration. Think of the number of times you couldn’t find the word you were looking for, or the number of times you started one task only to get sidetracked by another. If this happens day in and day out, then loss of productivity isn’t the only thing you should worry about; your health should be a major concern, as well.
- You’ll be more at risk for accidents. Sure, an accident could mean something as small as dropping a glass in the kitchen, but it could also mean a devastating car accident or an embarrassing and costly mishap at work. Whether a result of your lack of coordination or your poor reflexes, you don’t want to bring these setbacks into your life. Whatever the case may be, you can minimize the chances of these accidents by getting restful sleep every single night.
- You’ll gain weight. Not only will you have difficulty keeping up with your workout routine, your body will start working against you. Ghrelin, the hormone that tells your body it’s hungry, goes into overdrive; leptin, the hormone that tells your body it’s full, starts to dwindle. Combined with the cravings you’ll have for carbohydrates, you’re doomed to increase in mass.
- You’ll have a weakened immune system. A recent study on the relationship between the immune system and sleep revealed that not only does sleep deprivation affect the human immunity, the immunity itself affects a person’s ability to experience restful sleep. Here’s an example:
- You haven’t slept well for days when you’re exposed to the germs of a friend or family member.
- As a result of your sleep deprivation, your immune system is unable to fight off these germs.
- You come down with the common cold. Your symptoms include a mild headache, a stuffy nose, post-nasal drip, and a sore throat.
- All you want is a good night’s sleep, but because you can’t breathe through your nose, you only manage to catch a few precious hours.
- Because you don’t sleep, your immune system struggles to fight off the invading germs; it will take you longer than most to recover from a cold.
There are so many other ways your overall health could be affected by sleep deprivation. If you feel sleep deprived, click on this link to evaluate your sleep health. If you have additional questions, contact our office today. We proudly serve Granger, Indiana, and the surrounding communities.
