Sleep, while one of the most blissful and relaxing things we do to survive, is also one of the most essential. When we close our eyes for those few hours each night, we give our body the chance to recharge after all the stresses of the previous day.
When we don’t sleep, however, none of this gets the chance to happen. Not only will we awake feeling cranky the next day and have a difficult time concentrating, prolonged periods of sleep deprivation may have serious consequence on hour health. In fact, ample research has been conducted on exactly what happens to different parts of the body if we are not getting our eight hours each night.
Lack of Sleep Gives You These Conditions:
1. Attempting Suicide
It may be shocking, but recent research conducted in 2014 found a link between increased incidences of suicide in adults and poor sleep, regardless of past history with depression. During a 10-year study conducted by researchers at the Stanford University of Medicine, 420 participants ranging in middle to late adulthood were examined. Out of this group, 20 participants found to suffer from poor sleep unfortunately committed suicide. Because of this, researchers concluded that those who were experiencing difficulties sleeping on a consistent basis were 1.4 times more likely to commit suicide.
2. Obesity and Diabetes
Diabetes has long been linked to poor sleep, but a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago unpacked how poor sleep can potentially cause obesity, and ultimately, lead to diabetes. Knowing that fatty acid levels within the blood can impact metabolism speed and insulin’s ability to regulate blood sugar, researchers examined the effects little sleep had on fatty acid buildup.
3. Alzheimer’s
A 2013 study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that a lack of sleep can both be a cause of Alzheimer’s disease and impact the speed of the disease’s progression. The study was conducted based on previous research that discovered sleep is necessary for the brain to get rid of “cerebral waste,” or the garbage-like buildup that can accumulate and cause dementia.
Conducting their study on 70 adults, ranging between the ages of 53 and 91, researchers found that those who reported getting poor sleep each night showed a greater amount of beta-amyloid deposition in their brains on PET scans. This compound is known to be a definitive marker of Alzheimer’s disease, leading researchers to conclude that lack of sleep is preventing the brain from getting rid of this form of “cerebral waste.”
4. Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease has been linked to poor sleep for some time now, but a recent study presented at EuroHeartCare, the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology found greater evidence of a strong correlation. After following 657 Russian men between the ages of 25 and 64 for 14 years, researchers found that nearly two-thirds of those who experienced a heart attack also had a sleep disorder.
What’s more, the men that complained of sleep disorders also were found to have a 2.6 times higher risk of myocardial infraction, a heart attack that occurs when the heart muscle dies, and a 1.5 to four times greater risk of stroke.
5. Prostate Cancer
In a 2013 study published within the journal Cancer Epidemology, Biomarkers and Prevention,researchers found an increased incidence and severity of prostate cancer in patients with sleep issues. After following 2,425 Icelandic men between the ages of 67 and 96 for three to seven years, researchers discovered that the danger of developing prostate cancer rose in 60 percent of men who had trouble falling asleep. This number doubled with men who reported having difficulty staying asleep. What’s more, those who experienced sleep problems were also more likely to have later stages of prostate cancer.
6.Ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease marked by ulcers within the lining of your digestive tract, as well as Crohn’s Disease can be a product of both sleep deprivation, and excess sleep, says a 2014 study. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital found that the right amount of sleep is necessary to curb inflammation responses within the digestive system which often lead to the two diseases.
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