There are a lot of different lack of sleep side effects that can be damaging to long-term health. Sleep is not only essential for regenerating the physical body, but it is also necessary to reach new mental perceptions and to find creative new solutions to old problems. Sleep helps to “reprogram” the brain to focus on problems from a different perspective, which is crucial for creativity. It strengthens well-connected brain hemispheres and improves learning.

Sleep and sleep loss alters the expression of several genes and gene products that may be important for synaptic plasticity. On the other hand, certain forms of long-term potentiating, a neural process related to the establishment of learning and memory, can be caused by sleep, suggesting that synaptic connections are strengthened during sleep.

In children, naps can give impetus to the ability to recognize patterns of new information. They play a vital role in cognitive development. When young children are sleeping, the brain is busy building and strengthening connections between the left and right hemispheres of their brains. These connections are made through the splenium, which is part of the corpus callosum, a thick band of fibers in the brain that connects the left and right hemispheres and facilitates communication between the two sides.

In adults, a nap at noon increases and restores intellectual capacity.

Sleep is the most accomplished form of rest. It would allow the body to recover, be it physically or mentally. In this process, slow sleep would play a special role since slow waves are all the more intense and elevated as the amount or quality of sleep was bad the night before. Sleep will also reduce metabolism and preserve energy (homeostatic role). Thus, body temperature falls around 36 ° C during the night.

I – Lack of Sleep Side Effects

In general, most people do not sleep enough. The stress, work, or technology that keeps many people stuck on the computer screen until very late are some of the main reasons.

Chronic sleep deprivation can have many negative effects on health, affecting hormonal regulation, glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, pain perception, inflammatory processes, immune system function, or mental functioning, among others. Sleep is as important as food or exercise.

Lack of sleep side effects is relatively limited if the reduction in sleep time is punctual and measured. In contrast, the lack of sleep repeatedly can produce adverse health effects. In the short term, little sleep is mainly about quality of life and behavior.

The main effects of lack of sleep are:

*** Obesity

The excessive urge to eat, caused by lack of sleep, can be truly dangerous. Many studies claim that not sleeping well affects metabolism and hormones such as ghrelin and leptin, which are responsible for appetite management. Their levels change dramatically.

*** Diabetes

Chronic lack of sleep seems to lead, according to scientific studies, to a decrease in insulin sensitivity and to a greater risk (of 37% on average) of developing type 2 diabetes insulin explains weight gain and is one of the first steps in diabetes. In addition, in people with diabetes, sleep disturbances are accompanied by deterioration in blood glucose control.

*** Cardiovascular Illnesses

For scientists, lack of chronic sleep induces different types of biological effects, including an increase in oxidative stress and an alteration of the inflammatory response, mechanisms involved in cardiovascular disease. And epidemiological studies show that lack of chronic sleep is associated with coronary heart disease, hypertension, and arrhythmia. Sleeping little, or conversely too much, can also increase the risk of having a stroke.

*** Increased Pain

Lack of sleep also leads to an exaggerated perception of pain. Lack of sleep increases sensitivity to pain stimuli and reduces the effectiveness of common pain medications such as ibuprofen or morphine.

*** Concentration Problems and Poor Memory

The fact of not resting enough, and having a restless sleep, very strongly influences our ability to concentrate, which makes us messier. This problem can affect our ability to learn and memorize concepts.

*** Mood Disorders

Sleep and depression are strongly linked, as many proofs attest. Depressed people usually tend to sleep for too long. By depriving these people of sleep, one can improve their depressive symptoms. But lack of sleep can also increase mood disorders or induce depression. In this context, the link between sleep and depression remains difficult to grasp. What is known, however, is that the lack of chronic sleep can worsen the symptoms of depression, and insomnia is frequently found among the very first symptoms of depression.

*** Weakening of the Immune System

When we do not have enough restorative sleep, we prevent our bodies from resting properly. Our immune system will then weaken, and we are more prone to suffer from diseases like the flu and colds or to be affected by respiratory infections.

*** Aging Skin

Lack of chronic sleep causes circles around the eyes, wrinkles, and dull skin. When you’re not getting enough sleep, the body releases more of the stress hormone – cortisol – the excess of which can alter collagen in the skin, the protein that keeps it supple and elastic. Lack of sleep decreases the production of growth hormone, a hormone that is released during sleep. In children, this hormone promotes growth, and in adults helps to increase muscle mass and strengthens skin and bones. It also helps repair damaged tissue during the day.

Sleep problems are an indication that something is wrong. This can be excessive stress or a psychological problem such as anxiety or depression. The lack of voluntary sleep may be due to poor time management, which prevents a person from doing certain things that he wishes to do or must do so that he subtracts hours of sleep to be able to do them. Sometimes it is just a lack of information: if you are not aware of the importance of sleep for health and the negative consequences of lack of sleep, you will take less care of this aspect of life.

III – Factors to Avoid Lack of Sleep Side Effects

*** Optimize the Intestinal Flora

The intestine is the “second brain,” and intestinal bacteria transmit information to the brain through the vagus nerve, the tenth cranial nerve that connects the brain stem to the enteric nervous system (the nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract). There is a close relationship between abnormal intestinal flora and abnormal brain development; just as there are neurons in the brain, there are also neurons in the gut – including neurons that produce neurotransmitters like the brain. Serotonin – which is also found in the brain and is related to mood.

Intestinal health can affect brain function, psyche, and behavior because they are interconnected and interdependent in different ways.

Intestinal bacteria are an active and integrated part of the body and, as such, are highly dependent on food and are vulnerable to lifestyle. Suppose a large number of processed foods and sugary drinks are eaten, for example. In that case, intestinal bacteria are likely to be severely compromised as processed foods will usually destroy healthy microflora, and sugars of all kinds will feed bad bacteria and yeasts.

Limiting sugar and processed foods while consuming traditionally fermented foods (rich in good bacteria), taking a probiotic supplement, and breastfeeding the baby, are among the best ways to optimize intestinal flora and promote brain health.

*** Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is important to keep the mind active as you get older. According to the latest research, people with high levels of vitamin B12 deficiency markers are more likely to have lower scores on cognitive tests, as well as lower brain volume, suggesting that lack of the vitamin may contribute to cerebral narrowing.

Mental cloudiness and memory problems are two of the main warning signs of vitamin B12 deficiency, indicating its importance for brain health.

Taking vitamin B supplements, including vitamin B12, helps delay brain atrophy in older people with mild cognitive impairment. Cerebral atrophy is a deeply rooted feature of Alzheimer’s disease.

Vitamin B12 is available in its natural form only in food sources of animal origin. These include seafood, beef, chicken, pork, milk, and eggs. If enough of these animal products are not consumed to get adequate vitamin B12 intake or if the body’s ability to absorb the vitamin is compromised, vitamin B12 supplementation, totally free of toxins, is recommended.