Most people advocate quality sleep, but it is easy to fall into a pattern of not getting sufficient sleep. Lack of proper sleep triggers disruption in the body’s metabolic and biological processes, leading to different health challenges. Below are the ways a poor sleep can affect your health.
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It Could Lead to Migraine
Neurologists have discovered that there is a clear connection between sleep and headache. Those that enjoy quality sleep are less prone to headaches than those who don’t get adequate sleep.
It is easy for people to attribute migraine/headache to various underlying health issues as well as social factors, but most of the time, people tend to leave out smaller causative factors. If you experience frequent migraine bouts, you need to check your sleeping pattern. An average adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Besides, something supposedly insignificant, like sleeping on a bad mattress, can be a causative factor depriving you of quality sleep. Try getting a mattress for migraines. This could make sleeping easier and reduce the frequency and severity of the migraine.
It Could Affect Your Mental Health
When you don’t sleep well or sleep enough, it tends to have an impact on your mental health. Sleep deprivation would cause you to feel anxious about various things. In fact, for some, it could develop into a full-blown anxiety disorder.
The impact of sleep on the brain cannot be overemphasized. If the body does not enjoy proper rest, it will have to overwork itself, which can lead to a nervous or mental breakdown in the long run.
Asides anxiety issues, poor sleep can lead to depression. It can also increase mood swings, irritability, memory problems, among others. Research is still ongoing regarding the possible correlation between sleep deprivation and bipolar disorder.
Reduce Mental Retention Capacity
Ah yes! Sleep has so much to do with mental retention; it is all about the brain. When the brain is overstressed without replenishment, it tends to go numb, thereby affecting how the brain’s ability to transmit signals and information.
Sleep deprivation also affects the cognitive functions of the brain. You might find it challenging to concentrate well or recollect past events correctly. You will lose focus frequently, and your mental reasoning and problem-solving techniques will diminish substantially.
More so, it won’t be easy to learn and remember new things, which can affect performance at work or school.
Increase Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases
Sleep is essential for the whole body, and the heart is not left out. When you are well-rested, you help your heart stay healthy. This reduces your risk of getting cardiovascular diseases.
Lack of sleep disrupts or slows the body’s normal biological processes because all organs would have to work double-time.
Sleep deprivation can also increase glucose levels, and you’d have to deal with diabetes and related conditions. Depending on your health history and genetics, you could develop either high blood pressure or low blood pressure.
This means that you might battle health challenges like hypertension or even stroke. Even more scary is the fact that lack of adequate sleep can put you at risk of cardiac arrest. However, it is possible to reduce the chances of all these health challenges by getting sufficient sleep.
Kill Sex Drive
Sleep specialists have linked sleep deprivation with less interest in sex and the inability to perform well during sexual activities.
Lack of sleep may result in diverse sexual issues like low libido, sleepiness during sex, fast-depleting energy, low testosterone, nervousness, and increased tension.
Therefore, sex specialists encourage people with sexual issues to get proper sleep and improve their sleeping patterns. Also, couples dealing with infertility issues are sometimes placed on sleep studies. It certainly has helped lots of couples to solve their infertility problems.
Reduce Energy Levels
Do you feel weak and tired quickly? Do you find it hard keeping active at various times of the day? Are you highly prone to fatigue? If you are experiencing all these, check if you are getting quality sleep. Quality sleep boosts the body’s ATP level, and this increases its energy.
What happens then if you are not well-rested? Your body would find it hard to stay active, and even when you try to do your normal routine, you feel tired after a short while. You might also doze off easily in the middle of activities. However, sleeping well can help you rest well and ensure you replenish your energy for the next day.
Conclusion
If you are experiencing poor sleep, you should find the root problem to improve your sleeping pattern. Visiting your doctor can help you find out if it’s asleep disorder or underlying health issues. You should also try to make out time for enough sleep, no matter how busy you are. Oh, and if your mattress is the culprit, it is time to change it!
Getting quality sleep can make the difference between have a good and productive day and having an awful one. Sleeping helps boost your immune system, balance your hormone levels, and above all, enhance your overall health.
