The Dangers Of Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation doesn’t just refer to a form of torture. Many people try to get by with not enough sleep, with late nights and early starts, and when the human body doesn’t get enough rest, it suffers greatly. Sleep deprivation effects both a person’s physical and mental well-being. Fortunately there are a number of sleep aids available which can help you get to sleep before you get to the stage of sleep deprivation.

Weight A Minute...

Many people who are sleep deprived also struggle with weight gain. Hormone levels in the body are effected by the amount and quality of the sleep we get. Leptin and ghrelin are the hormones that control our appetite, and lack of sleep will cause the levels of these hormones to change.

This makes us hungrier and feel less full after a meal, and therefore we eat more. For this reason, those who struggle to get enough sleep, such as new mothers, uni students and sufferers of insomnia often find themselves gaining weight. 

Look Out!

When an individual is sleep-deprived it becomes very difficult to get out of bed in the morning. Concentrating on anything becomes a difficult task, and briefly falling asleep during the day is likely. Reaction times slow significantly, vision blurs, and in more extreme cases the person can have hallucinations.

For most people, being deprived of sleep makes it difficult to think, and they may find it difficult to understand things they normally would. These symptoms of sleep deprivation are very dangerous, especially for people working with heavy machinery or driving. In fact, some scientists even say that a sleep-deprived driver is more dangerous than a drunk driver. Falling asleep at the wheel not only puts you in danger, but everyone else on the road in danger as well. 

So What Should You Do..?

Naturally, the best way to avoid sleep-deprivation is to get enough sleep, which for most people is between six and nine hours a night. If it is impossible for you to get that much sleep in a night, naps in the afternoon, or whenever you can find time, are a good idea.

If you have the time to sleep, but simply can’t, sleep aids such as sleeping pills are a good way to go. Most should only be taken briefly, but a two week period on a sleeping drug is often enough to get you back into a good sleep pattern.