Modern man increasingly neglects proper sleep in favor of study, work or pleasure, perceiving it as an annoying necessity that takes up a lot of time.
If you have an urgent project, important event, preparing for exams or another event, and time is running out, then finding the missing time is trivially simple - it is taken away from sleep.
But, of course, each of us realizes that such actions are not good for the body.
Refusal to sleep can cause irreversible pathological processes in the body (CNS depression, paranoia, diabetes mellitus, memory loss), decrease social status and quality of life.
Forced sleep deprivation. Torture by insomnia
Torture by insomnia is considered the most sophisticated; it was successfully used in barbarian tribes. This could happen in different ways.
During the day they were forced to look at the sun, at night they beat a drum over the ear. Or they were forbidden to sleep during the day and interrogated at night. Few people lasted more than a week.
In the Middle Ages, torture was also used to drive out demons from the body of the culprit.
The higher society rises in its development, the more sophisticated the bullying becomes:
in Guantanamo Bay, an American camp, prisoners are kept awake with very loud and long music. During the Vietnam War, captured American pilots were tied or shackled to a chair and forced to sit without sleep for days without changing their position.
Voluntary sleep deprivation in history
Overcoming sleep cravings is discussed in different cultures as an extremely difficult and desirable goal. The Australian aborigines have an initiation rite (personal transition to a new stage of development) before which young people do not sleep for three nights in a row.
In the Mesopotamian epic, Gilgamesh, wanting to gain immortality, does not sleep for six days. But his efforts are in vain, sleep overcomes him and he remains mortal.
History contains cases of aesthetic wakefulness, which is undertaken with the aim of deepening self-contemplation. An example is the funeral service of the early Christian monks, which lasted all night.
In the monasteries of the Middle East, participants in such a ritual are allowed to sleep no more than 3–4 hours: the evening service ended after midnight, and the morning service began at 4 o’clock.
Some great ascetic philosophers praise voluntary sleep deprivation and view sleep as a waste of time. To reduce the amount of sleep they consider useless, they place cobblestones under their heads instead of pillows.
Peter from Alcantara did not sleep for 40 years, more than 1.5 hours a day, he had to put his head on a sharp stake.
Novalis, a German mystic and poet, at the end of the 18th century glorifies insomnia, believing that a person is more perfect the less he sleeps.
Voluntary sleep deprivation for scientific purposes
Object scientific research sleep deprivation begins in the 19th century. Initially, experiments were carried out on animals. The dogs survived for ten days, then died. The rats turned out to be more resilient. They were put on wooden planks and sent floating on the water.
The elderly rats stayed awake for several days, after which they fell asleep and, sliding off the planks into the water, drowned. The young individuals managed to survive for up to twenty days, perhaps sleeping in fits and starts, like sharks.
Animal experiments have shown that
Sleep deprivation leads to an increase in the release of stress hormones. This can reduce the rate at which brain cells turn over.
In 1896, experiments began on people to study the functions of the body during sleep and biological changes due to its lack.
Patrick and Gilbert, American doctors at the University of Iowa, observed three volunteers who had not slept for 90 hours. The first sleepless night passed without much stress. The second night caused an irresistible desire.
By the end of the experiment, the subjects struggled with drowsiness to the limit of their strength, hallucinations began, and their perception of reality was disrupted. Their strength was fully restored after a full twelve hours of sleep.
Half a century later, the race for records began.
After experiencing short-term memory loss and hallucinations, Randy Gardner, a seventeen-year-old Californian youth, in 1965 lasted 11 days without sleep – that’s 264 hours!
When asked how he managed to go without sleep for so long, Randy replied that it was a victory of spirit over matter. In fact, Gardner's success factors were his excellent physical training, high motivation, support from the media and numerous observers.
This victory over sleep was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. After this, representatives of the Book stated that registration of such records is stopped due to the threat to human health. However, in 2007, Briton Tony Wright spent 275 hours without sleep.
The effect of prolonged wakefulness on the body
A person who has not slept for just one night experiences a sharp loss of strength.
The second night without sleep introduces dissonance into behavior and sensations: the gait becomes uneven, speech is confused and unclear, tasks requiring mental effort cannot be solved, psychological tests record errors indicating the presence light sleep in someone who is forced to stay awake.
This is confirmed by the electroencephalogram. A person is awake, being in a state of drowsiness and sleepy spindles.
If insomnia continues, a person becomes fussy and restless, he has a feeling that the floor is swaying under his feet, and his head is being squeezed by hoops (“hat phenomenon”), his eyes are full of dust particles, and his memory refuses to work.
The fourth sleepless day brings with it visual and auditory hallucinations.
As the person goes deeper into insomnia, the test subject’s “I” seems to separate, the will is suppressed, and anything can be suggested to him.
Researchers suggest that hallucinations are REM sleep with its dreams intruding into wakefulness. For this reason, after the experiment, the subjects are immersed in deep slow sleep, the shortage of which is most acute.
NREM sleep also tries to reassert itself by invading violent wakefulness. This was recorded by Nathaniel Kleitman, who conducted an experiment on himself.
After 120 hours of sleeplessness, his electroencephalogram recorded delta waves, which usually appear in slow-wave sleep. Kleitman managed to eliminate them with a great effort of will. At such moments, the line between sleep and wakefulness became blurred.
The effect of being awake for one and a half days on the body
People who work night shifts often have to stay awake for a day and a half: stay awake all night and then stay awake for another day. Many people get used to this rhythm and do not see any negative aspects in it.
Does not very debilitating sleep deprivation affect the psyche and the body as a whole? The answer to this question was given in his research by Ya.I. Levin, who chose the 36-hour waking rhythm as the object of study:
35 young healthy people became test subjects. They experienced the greatest sleepiness from 4 to 7 am, from 13 to 16 next day. In the evening, towards the end of the experiment, the desire to sleep was the weakest.
Everyone noted a surge of strength, but there was no desire to move. Many reactions to sleep deprivation differed and were determined by individual parameters - the balance of his nervous system, temperament, character, physical endurance.
But all of them had the following features: decrease in motivational and incentive level, decrease in general activity, deterioration in associative and short term memory, increased reactive anxiety.
On the other side the number of errors when performing simple and complex verbal and non-verbal tasks decreased.
Analysis biochemical parameters recorded changes in cholesterol levels and total protein, decreased hormonal levels catecholamine, a companion of emotional stress.
Many indicators returned to normal on the first night after the experiment was completed. Many, but not all...
The recovery night also progresses abnormally: sleep lasts longer, the proportion of deep delta sleep is increased, and the number of movements and awakenings during sleep is reduced.
Galvanic skin response (GSR), a key indicator of emotional activity, is also affected by insomnia. The slightest disturbance, even unnoticed by us, affects the functions of the sweat glands, the skin becomes more moist and its electrical resistance changes. The GSR of the subjects turned out to be similar to the GSR of patients with neuroses.
Thus,
Sleep deprivation is a severe stress, accompanied by biochemical and psychophysiological changes.
The main ally in the fight against stress is delta sleep. Therefore, after sleep deprivation, a person first falls into this stage of sleep.
It is dramatic that delta sleep begins restoration work after irreversible processes have already occurred.
Preventing the harmful effects of prolonged wakefulness
Is there a way to prevent such stressful conditions in the body?
I.G. Dallakyan and Ya.I. Levin proved in practice that a session of electroacupuncture (acupuncture), acting on certain points auricle, increases human activity.
After such prevention, 36-hour wakefulness is much easier to bear, and deep delta sleep on the recovery night lengthens unnoticed.
Sleep deprivation can cause the following symptoms:
Sleep deprivation negatively affects glucose absorption human body, which can cause diabetes. This conclusion was made by researchers at the University of Chicago.
muscle pain,
Decline visual acuity,
Violation color perception– color blindness,
Clinical or acute depression
Increased
Decreased ability to think and concentration,
Psychosis – loss of sense of reality and personality,
Decline immune defense,
Dizziness, fainting, headaches,
Overexcitement, overstrain, irritation, impatience,
Auditory and visual hallucinations,
Trembling in the limbs
Lucid dreaming when falling asleep,
Nausea,
Memory lapses
Involuntary fast eye movements,
Pallor skin,
Slow reactions
Unclear and confused speech
Sore throat, nasal congestion,
Increase or weight loss,
Yawn,
Clouding of consciousness - delirium,
Symptoms similar to alcohol intoxication, paranoia,
Indigestion, intestinal upset, diarrhea,
Promotion blood pressure.
Refusing natural need our body for the sake of professional or any other activity, we should remember sleep destination:
Rest from wakefulness.
Processing information and transferring it for storage to long-term memory.
Regulation of metabolic processes: the production of growth hormone is enhanced, the plasticity of neurons is restored, the biosynthesis of neuronal RNA and proteins is adjusted.
Setting biorhythms to optimal mode.
Adjustment and regulation of the functioning of brain structures.
Recovery protective functions: T-lymphocytes responsible for immunity to viruses are activated during sleep.
Despite the fact that the phenomenon of sleep has not been fully studied and many important aspects refusing it remains a mystery to science; the fact of a threat to human health and status of life remains undoubted.
Sources: A.M. Wayne "Tr and thirds of life”, “Sleep and wakefulness disorders”, “Brain pathology and the structure of night sleep”.
Let me wish you healthy good sleep and offer to listen to a wonderful melody:
Elena Valve for the project Sleepy Cantata.
Content : The impact of lack of sleep on health. How to compensate for lack of sleep at night. Use of orthopedic bedding. Creating a favorable sleeping microclimate. Afternoon nap. Essential oils to improve sleep. Daily routine and sleep consistency. Proper nutrition and sleep. Melatonin, magnesium and plant-based sedatives to improve sleep quality. Shower after working day and other types of restorative pastime. Drugs that help eliminate drowsiness. Interesting facts about sleep.
Lack of sleep and its impact
Many modern people from time to time [or even constantly] they face such a problem as lack of sleep. Many also face the negative consequences of regular sleep deprivation. Thus, the results of one three-year American study indicate that those people who sleep 6 hours or less have a 4 times greater risk of having a stroke. In addition to stroke, there are many other diseases, the presence of which will make your doctor very happy.
In its destructiveness accumulated sleep deficit also has a detrimental effect on the body, as poor nutrition And sedentary lifestyle life. Moreover, even if a person eats right and regularly has physical activity, but at the same time constantly lacks sleep, then all his efforts are pointless. Those negative hormonal, immune and other metabolic changes that occur in the body when a person sleeps less than 6 hours, significantly accelerate aging .
Another feature of regular lack of sleep is the deterioration of the body’s ability to absorb glucose. This means that obesity and type II diabetes, once established in life, can become constant companions.
In view of the fact that it is at night that immune “reactions” are most active, regular lack of sleep is similar to the situation with driven horses, which, as is known, are deprived of the opportunity to live in a decent manner.
And, it seems, a logical solution suggests itself: If you don't get enough sleep, go to bed early (the time of awakening is most often fixed, and it is practically impossible to influence it). However, it is not so difficult task turns out to be beyond the capabilities of many, many. After all, I want to do most of all: chat, dance, watch...
How to reduce negative influence not enough long sleep? How can you get more rest and better recovery during the time allotted for sleep? This article is exactly about this - how to compensate insufficient sleep.
I Means of compensating for sleep deficiency
Orthopedic mattress
If even sleeping in ordinary clothes reduces the quality of sleep, then what can we say about a poor sleeping surface. The more relaxed the muscles achieve during sleep, the more rested the person will be as a result. It may just seem like you just need to take a horizontal position to sleep. If a modern adult could allow himself to sleep as much as he wanted, then maybe his body could more or less rest and recover by sleeping anywhere. However, in reality, Homo sapiens has little power or control over his own time. That's why insufficient quantity must be compensated by high quality .
The most convincing argument in favor of an orthopedic/anatomical mattress is the experience of personal use. After sleeping for a week on a hypothetically ideal sleeping place, you will become more demanding of the place where a third of your life passes, and you will no longer want to be content with any kind of sleeping place.
If, however, someone has a reason not to purchase an orthopedic mattress (small living space, rented housing, lack of enough money), then at least buy an orthopedic pillow.
Sleeping microclimate
To achieve the greatest relaxation during sleep, it is necessary to organize the sleeping microclimate in such a way that a minimum of information flows from the outside world through the senses 1 to the brain. It is especially important to exclude effects on the organs of vision and hearing.
The best quality sleep occurs in the absence of light. Not only the absence of the main stimulus is the advantage of pitch darkness. But also the fact that in the absence of light it will be most difficult to find you and, accordingly, no one will wake you up ahead of time. That's why, sleep in complete darkness .
The ideal for sleep is the absence of sounds. And even if in a dream you accidentally “give off a scent,” then you need to do it quietly and unnoticed both for yourself and for the close and not so close creatures sleeping nearby.
You should sleep in a cool room . The most favorable temperature range is 16-22ºC. In such a temperature environment it decreases general temperature body (up to the lower limit of 36.0°C) and this achieves deeper muscle relaxation. But your feet should be warm while sleeping.
Get what you need temperature regime climate control technology will help. If you use it skillfully (if everyone could use it skillfully...), then your health will remain with you, and the pleasure from wonderful and well-spent nights will also remain.
Before going to bed, the bedroom should be ventilated. Thanks to ventilation, the saturation of the room air with oxygen and air ions is achieved 2. This means that recovery during sleep will be more significant.
Daytime nap
Siesta or afternoon nap is common occurrence in many regions with hot climates. The time from 13 to 15 hours is the hottest, and it is quite appropriate to devote it to relaxation rather than work.
It is a common belief that daytime sleep negatively affects nighttime sleep. If after a night's sleep a person wakes up before 8:00 and spends his waking hours actively (and, without watching TV, lying down), no negative impact on night sleep siesta will not help, and the traditional Spanish siesta is proof of this. Moreover, daytime sleep improves work productivity, mental abilities And has a beneficial effect on health, in particular, it normalizes blood pressure and reduces the risk of “vascular” mortality.
When and how much should you sleep during the day? Daytime sleep is especially desirable in the warm season, when daylight hours are longest and the thermometer rises highest. Recommended duration nap is from an hour to an hour and a half.
Essential oils for sleep
Inexpensive, simple and very effective means Essential oils help improve sleep quality. There are a lot of ways to use them and everyone can choose the right one for themselves - evaporation in an aroma lamp, taking an aroma bath, cold inhalations 3 (in an aroma pendant). You can simply apply 2-3 drops to your pillow or duvet cover before bed 4 .
The effect of essential oils is due not only to the harmonization of the work of the right and left hemispheres of the brain, but also to the fact that inhaled aromas generate corresponding rhythms in the brain. Thus, soothing oils (neroli, rose, jasmine) evoke rhythms characteristic of a state of meditation. 
Oils of lavender, neroli, ylang-ylang, rose, lemon balm, incense, clary sage, and santalwood (especially lavender and neroli) are well suited for these purposes. It is possible (and even better) to use not just one oil, but an aroma composition. You can either prepare the latter yourself by mixing several oils, or you can buy a ready-made one (for example, “Sweet Dream”).
The use of essential oils has one important feature- do not use the same oil for more than 2 weeks (as the body gets used to the oil and the effect of the latter decreases).
Sleep consistency
Most of those who don't get enough sleep on a regular basis find that they can't afford 7-8 hours of sleep. They definitely need reconsider your daily routine (unless, of course, what happens in their lives has anything to do with order).
Every time you go to bed and wake up at the same time, the body adjusts the sleep phases so that waking up comes easily (in phase REM sleep 5 ) . After all, the fact that a person will feel well-rested when he wakes up depends not only on the duration of sleep, but also on the phase of sleep in which the awakening occurred.
Rational nutrition
How does it help compensate for sleep deficiency?
Main sleep function - this is rest. In turn, rest is the process of restoring physical and mental performance. How much the body will have to restore its performance depends on how many resources ( nutrients) was spent by the body during its activity, and how much later it replenished them. Accordingly, if, after completing work, you adequately replenish what was expended, then the need for night rest will be less. That's why, !
Compliance with the work and rest schedule
If you correctly distribute your activities throughout the working day, then there will be an opportunity (= time) for rest. For example, 1) the required amount of work can be completed in 2 hours, rather than stretched out over 8 hours; 2) you don’t have to “plow/work hard” for 2 hours, but evenly distribute your work over 8 hours.
... Do you think there is inconsistency in the author's thoughts? If we're talking about about hard physical labor, then energy resources (liver and muscle glycogen) will be enough for a maximum of 1 hour of productive work. If you take breaks from such work and devote them to replenishing resources (absorbing food), then you can do a larger amount of work and still maintain working capacity (and maintaining working capacity means not being tired). If we are talking about office-type work, then it is better not to create the appearance of activity, but to rationally distribute your work and rest (however, in this case, a lot depends on the “wisdom” of the boss and the employer).
Melatonin
Recovered pastime
How often and how much time a person devotes 
outdoor recreation ultimately affects the need for night sleep. Spending time in nature, away from the work and home environment, is akin to a psychotherapeutic session and is a kind of preventive measure, warning nervous tension and exhaustion.
You need to spend time only in a qualitatively different environment - this includes not only a landscape setting, but also dear and close people, communication with whom is like a “balm for the soul.”
Alarm clock that detects sleep phases
If a person is woken up in the REM sleep phase 5, then he will feel most sleepy and alert. Two scientists thought about this and independently created alarm clocks that wake you up during REM sleep: Sleeptracker and Axbo. These alarm clocks are not given the exact time of awakening, but a time interval (at least 45 minutes). When the REM sleep phase begins, the alarm clock informs its owner about the need to get up. Exact time Waking up is always different, but if you go to bed at the same time and always sleep the same amount of time, then the alarm clock will ring at almost the same time. In summary, an alarm clock that determines sleep phases is another means of compensating for lack of sleep.
Evening pastime
Just before bed, you should not do anything that changes your body temperature or heart rate. Showering/bathing, exercising/working, eating spicy/heavy meals can all take place at least two hours before bed.
Spending several hours in front of a monitor screen also negatively affects the quality of sleep. According to the Observer website: evening and nighttime Internet use is one of the most significant and powerful “destroyers” of good sleep.
3 Inhalation(Latin inhalatio - to inhale) - inhalation biologically active substances And medicines(in the form of steam, gas, smoke).
4 Quality essential oils do not leave stains, because essential oils are aromatic carbohydrates, not fats, and when properly purified they do not contain other substances.
5 REM sleep phase (rapid eye movement - REM) - stage of sleep when electrical activity brain (recorded using electroencephalography) is similar to activity during wakefulness. During this period, muscle tone decreases so much that the person cannot move.
6 Pineal body (or pineal gland) is a small endocrine (hormone-producing) organ in. The pineal gland produces the hormone melatonin. As we age, less and less melatonin is produced.
7
Medicinal sources of magnesium
- “Magvit B6”, “Magne-B6”, “Beresh Magnesium Plus B6”.
8 Biologically active additives with magnesium — “Calcium Magnesium Chelate” (NSP), “Calcium and Magnesium with Vitamin D” (Amway), “Calcimax” (Art Life).
Sources used
Article " Regular lack of sleep leads to stroke » about a study of sleep problems in Alabama (www.pravda.ru)
« Lack of sleep is dangerous » (spim.ru)
"" (news.bbc.co.uk)
"" (ovkuse.ru)
«» (Popular Mechanics website)
"" (www.meding.ru)
Lack of sleep - serious problem, which can negatively affect the functioning of all body systems. Often in response to the remark “you look bad,” we hear “I sleep very little.” And vice versa, when you get enough sleep, you are full of energy and strength. Sleep is essential for a person to rest and wellness. Scientists say that an adult body needs about 8 hours a day to recover, otherwise chronic lack of sleep can affect health and lead to very serious consequences.
Lack of sleep may appear after the first sleepless night, even if you only miss a couple of hours of sleep. What does lack of sleep lead to first?
Lack of sleep affects general health and causes certain symptoms.
Here are some of them:
This condition is difficult to tolerate and feels similar to the onset of an illness.
Those people who constantly sleep little find it more difficult to resist viral and bacterial diseases because their immunity is reduced.
If you constantly observe such symptoms in yourself, we may already be talking about a chronic deficiency.
Scientists also found that staying awake for more than 17 hours in a row is similar to the behavior of a person with a blood alcohol level of 0.05%.
What are the dangers of lack of sleep? What happens if you don't sleep enough? The consequences can be different and affect both physiological state person and mental health.
What does lack of sleep lead to:
The consequences of lack of sleep collectively lead to early aging of the body. This is why lack of sleep is dangerous.
According to research, even inconsistent sleep deficiency causes an increase in the risk of mortality, as it leads to irreversible changes in the body. If we add to this the impact of all the above problems, the result will seem disastrous. A 2010 study found that if people slept less than 6 hours at night, their risk of dying in the next 14 years was 4 times higher.
Very often a person cannot sleep the required amount of time due to the lack of suitable conditions when falling asleep.
The following factors contribute to insomnia:
- Falling asleep in a bed that is not yours.
- The way we sleep is an uncomfortable position.
- Stuffiness in the room.
- Loud sounds and bright lights.
These factors relate to external conditions. But it can also be about influence internal problems and existing diseases.
These include:
- high blood pressure;
- apnea;
- joint problems;
- urinary incontinence;
- hormonal problems in women;
- heart disease.
When we cannot sleep normally for a long period, nervous excitement increases. Even when conditions become favorable, obstacles may arise. psychological aspect.
Sleep is influenced by human daily biorhythms. In the evening, the body relaxes, preparing to fall asleep. Therefore, it is very important to go to bed on time.
What should you do if you haven’t gotten enough sleep? To minimize the negative impact of stress on the body, it is especially important to understand how to compensate for the missing hours of rest. How to compensate for lack of sleep? The most important thing is to be able to sleep correctly. Why should people sleep at night? Scientists agree that from 11 pm to 2 am is the optimal time to fall asleep. There is an explanation for this. Melatonin begins to be produced just in the evening.
Melatonin has the following properties:
Early rise is promoted by the hormone of happiness - serotonin. Because of this balance, poor sleepers, insomniacs, and people who fall asleep after 2 a.m. show signs of having problems getting a good night's rest. So don't sit late too late.
Sleepers need a sufficient amount of oxygen, so the air temperature in the bedroom is considered comfortable around 18 degrees. Before going to bed, it is better to ventilate the room, avoid bright light and try to relax.
The consequences of lack of sleep are too dangerous and serious to be neglected or not given due attention. Unpleasant symptoms and the consequences are bad for the body. Little sleep is very harmful. Saving time on sleep does not lead to anything good; it simply does not have enough strength to fully enjoy life.
There is only one way out - sleep enough, create yourself a quality deep sleep and you will provide yourself with excellent health and longevity.
- this is not luxury, but only a way to restore strength after a hard day at work.
Everyone is trying to squeeze as much material benefit out of time as possible. Theoretically we know that need more sleep But the constant busyness of some people does not allow them to relax. And there are more and more such people.
This can be blamed on the capitalist system, the desire for certain heights in life, or the basic desire to solve one’s financial problems. But we'll talk about how terrible there may be consequences from deliberate deprivation.
Change your appearance
Sounds terrible, doesn't it? However, scientists from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm have confirmed through research that lack of sleep negatively affects appearance. It could be pale skin, drooping corners of the mouth, swollen eyelids and other signs of deterioration in appearance.
The study involved ten people who were awake during 31 o'clock. Their photographs were then carefully examined by 40 observers. The conclusion was unanimous: all participants looked unhealthy, unhappy and tired after such long period insomnia.
State of intoxication
Your condition will not be in literally drunk if you don't get enough sleep. It was found that 17 o'clock continuous wakefulness correspond to the behavioral model of a person whose blood contains 0,05% alcohol.
Simply put, drowsiness can be similar to alcohol intoxication and lead to decreased concentration, poor thinking, and slower reactions.
Loss of creativity
Let's say you planned to create a grandiose Internet project like Facebook or VKontakte, but at the same time you are chronically lacking sleep. Scientists say that in this case you have little chance.
The basis was research conducted on military personnel. They didn't sleep two days after which people have significantly The ability to think creatively and come up with something new has decreased. The study was published by the British Journal of Psychology in 1987.
Increased blood pressure
There is growing evidence that sleep deprivation leads to significant increased blood pressure, and, consequently, to a deterioration in well-being.
Moreover, in hypertensive patients, non-compliance with sleep norms can provoke sharp jump pressure.
Decreased intellectual abilities
Not only do they decrease due to lack of sleep intellectual abilities, in addition, memory deterioration is also observed, which can negatively affect the quality of life in general and professional activities in particular.
Increased risk of disease
During sleep immune system produces cytokine proteins, who then “fight” with various types viruses. The number of cytokine proteins increases when your body needs protection from bacteria.
By depriving ourselves of sleep, we become more prone to illness and viral attacks, because the level of cytokines falls.
Premature aging
You can spend a lot of money on magical beauty products and treatments to stop the body's aging process, but this will not help if you are deprived normal sleep.
The stress a person experiences due to lack of sleep increases the production of a hormone called cortisol
This hormone increases sebum secretion and promotes skin aging. This is why sleep plays a key role in the process skin regeneration. While you sleep, cortisol levels return to normal and give cells time to regenerate.
According to a study of women aged 30 to 49 who did not get enough sleep, skin tissue age twice as fast wrinkles and other pathologies appear.
Overweight
A person who does not have adequate sleep tends to be overweight which is confirmed by numerous studies. These tests showed that people who sleep less than four hours a day, are likely to suffer from obesity 73%.
And hormones are to blame again. Hunger in our brain is controlled by ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin sends a signal to the brain when the body requires reinforcement. A leptin, on the contrary, when produced in fatty tissues, it reduces appetite and causes a feeling of satiety.
When you are tired, the level of ghrelin in the blood increases, and the level of leptin decreases.
Freezing
Sleep deprivation slows down metabolism(metabolism), which in turn reduces body temperature. As a result, the person quickly freezes.
Mental disorders
According to statistics, patients with sleep disorders in four times greater risk of occurrence wide range mental disorders than in people who have normal rest.
It's time to start getting enough sleep!
We live in an era where sleep acts as a substitute for coffee for people with too much free time. Everyone is trying to get the most out of their daily schedule. Theoretically, of course, we know that we should sleep more, but... it always turns out that so many urgent things have not yet been done! However, it turns out that the harm caused to oneself by such carelessness is almost impossible to justify by the importance of daily troubles. Let's take a look at what happens if you systematically neglect sleep.
1. You will become uglier
Sounds terrible, doesn't it? It's safe to say that you've never heard compliments related to puffy eyelids, pale skin and drooping corners of the mouth. Scientists from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm confirmed in their study: the consequences of sleep deprivation have a decisive impact on appearance.
Ten study participants stayed awake for 31 hours. Photographs of subjects taken before and after the experiment were assessed by forty observers. The judges' verdict was unanimous: all participants were perceived as less healthy, sadder and more tired after 31 hours of insomnia.
2. You will be drunk
Of course, you cannot be called literally drunk, but, as scientists have calculated, 17 hours of continuous wakefulness is equivalent to driving a car with a blood alcohol content of 0.05%. Drowsiness affects our mind similar to that, what alcohol does (except, perhaps, for drunken fun): reduces the ability to rational judgment, impairs awareness of behavior and slows down reaction time.
3. Resourcefulness and innovation will not be your strengths.
Are you planning to become the author of something new and successful, like the creators of Twitter or Facebook? There is a very small chance that you will succeed if you continue to deprive yourself of sleep. A 1987 study of the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance on military personnel who stayed awake for two days found a significant decrease in the ability to generate fresh ideas on given topics.
4. Your resting blood pressure will increase.
There is now a growing body of research showing that sleep deprivation increases blood pressure. Moreover, for people with hypertension, even shortening the night's sleep by just half can lead to the same result.
5. You will become stupid
Surely many of us have noticed at least once in our lives how even short periods of insomnia affect the quality of cognitive functions. A 2004 study found that people deprived of sleep for 24 hours have difficulty remembering events and concentrating. So it's time to say goodbye to excuses for neglecting sleep in favor of a solution important issues! Moreover, even one sleepless night can reduce the ability to correctly assess the relevance of certain information.
6. You might get sick
During sleep, the immune system produces proteins called cytokines, whose task is to protect the body from various types viruses. When our body needs protection from bacteria, the amount of these proteins increases. Decreased or absent sleep leads to decreased cytokine levels. This means that we are more susceptible to virus attacks and, accordingly, take risks with high probability get sick.
7. You will look older than your age.
You can spend a fortune on products to maintain your beauty and youth, but it will be useless if your body does not get the proper hours of sleep. Why does this happen? Stress increases the production of the hormone cortisol, which increases sebum secretion and promotes inflammation and breakouts. Sleep plays a key role in the skin regeneration process. While you sleep, stress hormone levels have time to return to normal indicators and give the cells time to recover. One study assessing skin aging included women aged 30-49 years, half of whom had poor sleep quality. A series of tests carried out confirmed that the skin tissue of women deprived of normal sleep shows twice as many signs of aging, such as wrinkles, spots, low levels of firmness and elasticity.
8. Sex life will become less intense
If you notice that your libido is falling, it's worth considering: you may not be getting enough sleep. Fatigue, low energy levels along with increased tension are common reasons sexual failures. By the way, for men suffering from sleep apnea, there is also a possible factor that interferes with quality sexual life. The authors of a study published in 2002 suggest that men suffering from this disease have abnormal low levels testosterone.
9. You will start to gain weight
It's sad but true: people who don't get enough sleep run the risk of gaining weight. Many studies have confirmed that people who sleep more are less likely to be overweight. Experiments have shown that subjects who sleep less than four hours a day suffer from obesity on average 73% more often than those who sleep normally.
The secret lies in hormones. Hunger signals in the brain are controlled by ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin sends a signal to the brain that it is time to eat. The hormone leptin, produced in adipose tissue, in turn causes a feeling of fullness. When we are tired, the level of ghrelin in our blood increases, and leptin decreases.
10. You will feel colder
Make sure you don't put your warm sweater far away in the closet. Sleep deprivation slows down your metabolism, which in turn lowers your body temperature, according to scientists in Kansas.
11. You may develop depression.
Statistically, patients with sleep disorders are more likely to develop a wide range of mood disorders. Are you neglecting sleep? Take your pick: irritability, mood swings, anxiety. None of this made itself felt in lately? Among other things, the risk of depression among people suffering from lack of sleep is four times higher than among those who do not deny themselves a good night's rest. Insomnia that lasts long enough can even lead to thoughts of suicide
12. Bones will become more fragile
The risk of such trouble may be small, but it still exists. This fact was proven, however, in a series of experiments conducted on rats. In a 2012 study, scientists found changes in density bone tissue And bone marrow these little animals after being awake for 72 days. The inability to repair bone damage under conditions of sleep deprivation may also be true in humans.
13. Increased overall clumsiness
Don't even think about showing your friends dangerous tricks after a sleepless night. According to findings by Dr. Klete Kushida of the Center for Human Sleep Research at Stanford University, lack of sleep impairs our sense of balance and depth perception, and dulls our reflexes. In other words, sleep deficiency has an extremely bad effect on the quality of motor skills.
14. Emotions will run high
Did the puppy in the picture suddenly move you to tears? If yes, it’s time to pull yourself together and get a good night’s sleep, because you have a lack of sleep, which makes your emotions unstable. One study of 26 people showed 60% activation of the amygdala in sleep-deprived subjects compared to well-rested volunteers. Amygdala, located in lower sections brain, responsible for processing feelings of fear and anxiety.
15. Life risks being shorter than expected.
Numerous studies show that sleep deprivation causes increased mortality, even after adjusting for people with conditions that affect sleep quality and mortality (obesity, alcohol and depression), as well as age, ethnicity, education and body mass index. A 2010 study found that men who slept less than six hours a night were more likely (4 times more likely than the control group) to die over the next 14 years.
