Like water and food, sleep is another biological need that no living animal can do without. An average human spends about one-third of their life sleeping. Many researchers for years searched for reasons why we sleep. Over the years, we have heard a lot of theories for the same. Some say that we sleep at night to protect ourselves from animals because they hunt at night, and hence the reason to sleep at night is entirely evolutionary. Some say that sleeping benefits humans by helping save energy, and it goes on.
Over the last few years, we have come to realize the importance of sleep in our day-to-day life. Our brains, along with sleep, play a vital role in memory and learning, and when we acquire new information; our brains go through it in stages when we are sleeping for these to be consolidated and stored.
What causes sleep deprivation?
Sleep deprivation is the lack of a fulfilling sleep or any sleep at all. If you do not get about 7 hours of sleep regularly, your body might develop a sleep disorder. Just like you need water intake to flush out the toxins and food to stack up against your Vitamins and other energy requirements, sleep is required to restore chemical balance. Without proper sleep, your body will not function in a better manner and might cause a dramatic downfall in the quality of your life.
Sleep deprivation affects the brain and body
- Mood fluctuation: Quick alternation of mood, overtly emotional, and reaction to small issues can come with sleep deprivation. You tend to be more on the cranky side when you are sleep-deprived. Chronic sleep deprivation has a significant impact on your mood, and it might lead to anxiety or depression.
- Prone to accidents: Lack of sleep on the brain also has an impact that can lead to accidents. When you haven’t slept well, it is possible that your concentration power is not that active, and a distracted or not-so-busy mind can lag, which might lead to accidents or from preventing one.
- Memory issues: Wondering how sleep deprivation affects the brain? Lack of sleep harms both your long-term and short-term memory. When you do not sleep well or have been sleep deprived, your brain is too tired to try and find the links to a few memories, so you will not be able to recall a few details.
- Weight gain: Yes, sleep deprivation can also lead to gaining weight. When you haven’t slept well, your brain cannot balance the chemicals, so the chemical that tells your brain that you are full might be slow, and you might end up overeating.
- Degradation of quality of sex drive: People who are sleep deprived often develop low sex libido and lack of sleep on the brain cause lower quality of sex life.
- Imbalance and lack of coordination: When you are sleep-deprived, you might develop a lack of coordination and might often find yourself in a situation where you trip due to imbalance.
- Risk for diabetes: The release of insulin in your body is affected when your sleep pattern is not regular or fulfilled. Lack of sleep can cause higher blood sugar levels and put them in the front seat in type 2 diabetes risk.
- Weakened immunity: Lack of sleep can deactivate the shield against viruses, which exposes you to germs and can cause diseases like the common cold and flu.
Tips to prevent sleep deprivation
- Avoiding daytime naps or limiting them.
- Avoiding caffeine past noontime.
- Sticking to a routine for sleep.
- Avoid stuffing or munching just before bed.
- Refrain from screen-time before sleep.
- Reducing alcohol intake.
- Exercising regularly.
- Using the last hour before bedtime to engage in relaxing activities like meditating or a relaxing bath.
Good quality of sleep is a must for a good quality of life. But some experts debate that we now live in a constantly sleep-deprived society in search of a better quality of life, giving up the major contributor to a better quality of life. Whatever happened to “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Some also argue that mental health degradation is due to sleep quality degradation. Sleep can act like a therapeutic weapon to treat psychiatric and neurological conditions.
