Published: 01/28/2015 - Updated: 11/11/2018
The consecuences of not sleeping well are very serious. What does it mean to sleep well? To experts, it’s placid dreaming for 6 to 8 hours, for adults. You should not be interrupted during this time, or abruptly awoken.
Sleeping well means not having nightmares, snoring, or even worse, suffering from apnea.
We all need to rest, relax our bodies and our senses after a hard day at work and/or household chores. And yet, waking up in a good mood depends on how you sleep, which also controls good health.
If you thought bad sleep was only related to a few ugly circles under your eyes, you’re wrong. Not sleeping well enough could cause serious and worrisome conditions. So take not, and avoid falling victim to this:
Contents
7 consecuences of not sleeping well
1. Heart attacks
Specialists indicate that sleep interacts directly with blood vessels. If you don’t sleep well, this could affect your blood pressure, causing it to rise, thus creating hypertension which could also directly affect your heart.
Remember, getting good sleep could be beneficial for your cardiovascular system.
2. Raises stress
There’s not a doubt out there that sleeping well relaxes you and noticeably reduces stress levels. If you sleep less that six hours, you will definitely feel irritable, fatigued, you’ll have headaches and you could even suffer from anxiety.
3. Increases your appetite
Not sleeping well reduces your body’s ability to regulate hormones that control appetite. According to researchers at the University of Chicago, bad sleep reduces leptin, the hormone that tells the brain that you no longer need to eat anything more, while increasing ghrelin, the hormone that sets off the urge to eat, which is to say, hunger.
Another study from the sleep institute at the University of Washington indicates that not sleeping increase one’s Body Mass Index (BMI) by 1.4, promoting obesity and being overweight.
4. Affects your memory
If you don’t sleep well enough, your memory will be affected, because sleep strengthens memory. Something happens when you sleep that makes it possible to consolidate that which you have learned throughout the day. It even promotes having more creative ideas, according to a recent study from the University of Notre Dame.
5. Reduces concentration
If you don’t sleep enough, you won’t be able to concentrate well if you need to study, research something, or learn information. Some studies show that neurons improve their functioning while sleeping.
6. Attracts depression
People that don’t sleep well could experience a lack of serotonin, which would imply a cause of depression. You can prevent this psychological condition by sleeping between six and eight hours a day.
7. Poor life quality
One study performed in 2010 discovered that there were more deaths among women that slept less than five hours a day, even though the cause of death, nor the effects of any other illness are clear. What is clear, however, is that bad sleep can definitely affect life quality.
References
- Oyetakin-White, P., Suggs, A., Koo, B., Matsui, M. S., Yarosh, D., Cooper, K. D., & Baron, E. D. (2015). Does poor sleep quality affect skin ageing? Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 40(1), 17–22.
- Yoshizaki, T., Kimira, Y., Mano, H., Ota, M., Iwatsuki, K., Oishi, Y., & Yamane, T. (2017). Association between Skin Condition and Sleep Efficiency in Japanese Young Adults. Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, 63(1), 15–20.
- Zee, P. C., & Turek, F. W. (2006, September). Sleep and health: Everywhere and in both directions. Archives of Internal Medicine. United States.
- Luyster, F. S., Strollo, P. J. J., Zee, P. C., & Walsh, J. K. (2012). Sleep: a health imperative. Sleep, 35(6), 727–734.
- Zee, P. C., & Turek, F. W. (2013, December). Respect the clock. Sleep Medicine Reviews. England.
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