Will Sleep Loss Make You Sick?

Sleep is very important to everyone as it helps you relax and stay refreshed for the next day. Having said this, once we get busy with our schedules, we hardly pay attention to our sleep. When our routines become more strenuous, sleep is the first thing we compromise on. But have you ever thought how sleeping less can affect you? You may ask, will sleep loss make you sick? Yes, indeed sleep loss can affect your health to a great extent. It is important to know what happens when you sleep less and the signs that indicate you are sleeping less.

According to various health and nutrition studies, everyone must sleep for minimum 6-7 hours a day. When there is a proper balance of sleep, nutrition, minerals and vitamins, the immunity is maintained well. If there is any disturbance in these essential factors, your ability to fight illnesses begins to reduce. When you skip your sleep for several days, you may fall ill as the body is stressed and unable to fight back. When you sacrifice sleep you tend to welcome many health issues like – increased risk of infections, poor performance, anxiety, depression, heart diseases and sometimes even death.

When you sleep for few hours you will have to face too many problems in life as your health condition would not be stable. The answer to your question, will sleep loss make you sick, is absolutely yes!

Sleep loss can be harmful to your health, performance and relationships as well. Check out these serious effects which can happen when you skip your sleep.

• Weight Gain – When you sleep well, you will be able to stay thin. When you sleep less people tend to put on weight. According to studies, people who sleep for less than 7 hours a day tend to put on too much weight when compared to people who sleep for 7 hours a day. When people are sleep deprived, leptin level is reduced in the body and also increases the level of ghrelin. Being overweight is one of the major risk factors for most lifestyle disorders. Sleep loss can make you sick by adding extra weight and increasing your risk for several illnesses.
• Reduced Immunity – Your immunity level is maintained when you sleep for minimum 7 hours. If you frequently fall ill, one reason is that you do not sleep well. Sleep loss can make you sick as it does not get enough time for healing and is unable to maintain your immunity. Your immune system fails to function well when you give up your sleep, which makes you catch infections and illnesses.
• Emotional Instability – When you sleep properly you are mentally stable else, sleepless nights can lead to mental depression. When you skip your sleep for a day, the next day you feel lazy and you will suffer from mood swings. Emotional stability is very important factor for staying healthy, but sleep loss can make you sick if you remain emotionally unstable.
• Reduced Libido – When you sleep for less than 7 hours, it can reduce the libido. This can affect your sexual life and ultimately lead to many health problems.
• Increased Risk of Diabetes – According to studies, people who skip their sleep can suffer from type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is indeed a dangerous illness and you would not want to welcome it. Sleep loss can make you sick by increasing your risk of diabetes.
• Infertility – Infertility is a common problem in both men and women. But have you ever thought that lack of sleep can also be a reason for infertility? Yes, lack of sleep can lead to infertility. Inadequate sleep or sleep loss can affect the production and balance of hormones, which are responsible for the reproductive function and fertility.
• Increased Risk of Heart Diseases – No one wishes to welcome heart diseases. When you sleep for less than 7 hours, there are chances that you will suffer from heart diseases. Sleep loss can make you sick by increasing your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other metabolic problems.
• Reduced Concentration – Adequate sleep is essential and when you don’t sleep properly it has a very bad impact on your thinking and reasoning ability. You may not be able to comprehend and perform well, as your brain did not receive enough rest. You will gradually reduce your concentration capability and problem solving skills.
• Decreased Memory – Inadequate sleep or sleep loss can also affect your memory power and make you more forgetful. If you wish to increase your memory power and skill, it is advised to sleep for minimum 7 hours in a day.
• Risk of Death – Sleep loss can not only make you sick but also can increase the risk of death. According to studies, people who have reduced their sleep from 7 hours to 4 or 5 hours, doubles their risk of death. It actually increases the cardiovascular diseases.

Whether you skip sleep for a day or a week it has an adverse impact on your health. The more you sacrifice your sleep there are chances that you reduce your lifespan day by day. There are various signs, which can indicate that sleep loss is making you sick.

• You always feel hungry. When your brain is not relaxed and does not get enough boosting powers, it tries to get it from the food. When you don’t sleep well you tend to crave for more fatty and creamy foods.
• You start to put on weight gradually. While sleep loss causes hormonal imbalance and weight gain, eating more than regular also adds to your weight. All this is because you do not give proper rest to your body and mind.
• When your body and mind is tired you feel very exhausted, you turn out to be more impulsive. Sometimes, changes in mood are very obvious and irritability, frustration and rash behavior may be noted.
• You tend to forget things as there is no proper rest for your mind. Your brain will not have enough energy to perform well so you start to forget things gradually.
• Sleep loss can not only make you sick but it can also be noted when you experience confusion and are unable to take any decisions in life. When you feel it very hard to make things smooth in life then your sleepless nights are the main reason.
• You start to take things very emotionally. Every small problem can seem to be very big in your life and you pour out your emotions every time.

Sleep loss can make you sick mainly due to inadequate rest to your brain, hormonal imbalance and improper functioning of the body. When there is hormonal imbalance, it leads to mental stress, depression and other health problems. Such health and emotional problems further cause sleepless nights and it turns into vicious circle. Hence, rather than welcoming such unwanted problems and letting sleep loss make you sick, it is better to sleep properly on time and enjoy good health.