Effects of Sleep Deprivation
It's normal to worry about the effects of lack of sleep. The results of a UK sleep study show that 68% of those surveyed with few hours of sleep are worried about how they will do the next day. It turns out that these concerns may not be completely unfounded, and although the effects of sleep deprivation vary from person to person, we're all affected after a night of sleep deprivation.
Some of the areas that are affected are mood and emotional state, pain thresholds, immune system functioning, and glucose metabolism.
Research on how sleep deprivation affects athletic performance further highlights the potential impact of sleep deprivation. In particular, disorders of glucose metabolism can be problematic for athletes who rely on their energy supply to perform at their best. In fact, athletes need even more sleep than the average person. A recent study found that collegiate basketball players felt significantly improved after sleeping for at least 10 hours.
The effects of sleep deprivation on the skin should not be overlooked either. Lack of sleep can impair the body's ability to fight off disease and inflammation. Sleep deprivation leads to an increased risk of developing psoriasis. Most people have experienced the appearance of pale yellow skin, puffy eyes and bags after a few nights of sleep deprivation. But it turns out that chronic sleep loss can lead to decreased skin smoothness and softness, fine lines and dark circles under the eyes. When you don't get enough sleep, your body releases more of the stress hormone cortisol. In larger amounts, cortisol can break down the skin product, the protein that keeps the skin smooth and supple.
Sleep loss also causes the body to produce too little growth hormone. When we are young, growth hormone promotes body development. As we age, it helps to increase muscle mass, make our skin more resilient and strengthen our bones. During deep sleep, growth hormone is released as part of normal tissue repair.
Chronic lack of sleep is also associated with weight gain. Studies found that restricting sleep in twelve healthy men for two days, from 10 to 4 hours, led to a decrease in leptin (a hormone that brings the feeling of fullness after eating) and an increase in ghrelin (a hormone involved in stimulating the feeling of hunger). These hormonal changes are also accompanied by the appearance of appetite, especially for high-calorie foods. In addition, being awake longer and late at night can lead to more opportunities to eat and reduce our desire and motivation to exercise.
Добрата новина обаче е, че ефектите от липсата на сън може да не са толкова лоши, колкото се очаква. Как се чувствате сутрин зависи, както от начина, по който тялото ни реагира на съня, така и от начина, по който спим. Знаем, че първите няколко часа сън са най-полезни по отношение на физическото възстановяване, поради което някои хора понякога се събуждат след 3 часа сън и се чувстват добре отпочинали. Това ограничаване и изключване на определени части от пълноценния сън, е свързано с много от отрицателните ефекти, за които говорим. Проучванията сочат, че е нужно просто да си наваксаме поне една трета от загубените ни часове сън, за да си възвърнем формата. Освен това, сънят, който получаваме през нощите на възстановяване, може да бъде по-дълбок и по-полезен за организма ни от този през останалите дни.