Ten surprising effects of lack of sleep by Sara Fanous

                  

1. Sleepiness Causes Accidents.

Studies show that sleep loss and poor-quality sleep also lead to accidents and injuries on the job. In one study, workers who complained about excessive daytime sleepiness had significantly more work accidents, particularly repeated work accidents. They also had more sick days per accident.

2. Sleep Loss Dumbs You Down.

Sleep plays a critical role in thinking and learning. Lack of sleep hurts these cognitive processes in many ways. First, it impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning, and problem solving. This makes it more difficult to learn efficiently.

3. Sleep Deprivation Can Lead to Serious Health Problems.

Sleep disorders and chronic sleep loss can put you at risk for: heart disease, heart attack, diabetes, stroke, ...

4. Lack of Sleep Kills Sex Drive.

Sleep specialists say that sleep-deprived men and women report lower libidos and less interest in sex. Depleted energy, sleepiness, and increased tension may be largely to blame.

5. Sleepiness Is Depressing.

Over time, lack of sleep and sleep disorders can contribute to the symptoms of depression. In a 2005 Sleep in America poll, people who were diagnosed with depression or anxiety were more likely to sleep less than six hours at night.

6. Lack of Sleep Ages Your Skin.

Most people have experienced sallow skin and puffy eyes after a few nights of missed sleep. But it turns out that chronic sleep loss can lead to lackluster skin, fine lines, and dark circles under the eyes.

7. Sleepiness Makes You Forgetful.

In 2009, American and French researchers determined that brain events called “sharp wave ripples” are responsible for consolidating memory. 

8. Losing Sleep Can Make You Gain Weight.

When it comes to body weight, it may be that if you snooze, you lose. Lack of sleep seems to be related to an increase in hungerand appetite, and possibly to obesity. According to a 2004 study, people who sleep less than six hours a day were almost 30 percent more likely to become obese than those who slept seven to nine hours.

9. Lack of Sleep May Increase Risk of Death.

In the “Whitehall II Study,” British researchers looked at how sleep patterns affected the mortality of more than 10,000 British civil servants over two decades. The results, published in 2007, showed that those who had cut their sleep from seven to five hours or fewer a night nearly doubled their risk of death from all causes. In particular, lack of sleep doubled the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

10. Sleep Loss Impairs Judgment, Especially About Sleep.

Lack of sleep can affect our interpretation of events. This hurts our ability to make sound judgments because we may not assess situations accurately and act on them wisely.