How does sleep deprivation affect our health? I want to understand the physiological and psychological effects of sleep deprivation, as well as the long-term consequences on the nervous system, mood, and daily functioning
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Sleep deprivation occurs when an individual consistently receives insufficient sleep. It can lead to a range of health issues, including impaired cognitive function, weakened immune system, mood swings, increased stress, and a higher risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Long-term effects may also include weight gain and an elevated risk of accidents due to decreased alertness. Prioritizing adequate sleep is crucial for overall well-being.
I’ve been running on 4-5 hours a sleep for the past 5 years and I’m not gonna lie my mental health is not at its best. It definitely does not feel good.
Your body is a very, very complex machine that is constantly trying to maintain the correct balance of countless substances to stay alive. Some of that “maintenance” can only be done effectively while you are asleep. Your wounds heal faster while you’re asleep. After working out, you must get sufficient sleep to build muscle effectively. Your brain actually switches to a different “mode” while going through various stages of sleep, which are critically important for cognition and memory. Your brain also generates a bunch of metabolic waste products while you are awake, and these can only be cleared out while you’re sleeping.
Long-term sleep deprivation prevents your body from effectively fixing itself, and you’ll start falling apart mentally and physically.
Sleep is the main time your body repairs itself. Both mentally and physically. Your brain flushes itself with chemicals to clean/repair itself and the rest of your body has a chance to also repair muscles, bones, tissues, etc while you sleep. So if you keep limiting your body’s time to do all that by keeping it awake or “on” too much, your health suffers from the lack of repair time.
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