10 Effects of Long-Term Sleep Deprivation
Why Sleep Matters: Consequences of Sleep Deficiency
 |
| Woman Sleeping on Chair while Learning |
Most people don’t get enough sleep. We are a society that burns the candle at both ends, a nation where people stay up all night to study, work, or have fun. However, going without adequate sleep carries with it both short- and long-term consequences.
In the short term, a lack of adequate sleep can affect judgment, mood, ability to learn and retain information, and may increase the risk of serious accidents and injury. In the long term, chronic sleep deprivation may lead to a host of health problems including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even early mortality.
The Relationship Between Sleep and Health
The price of insufficient sleep may be poor health. Study after study has revealed that people who sleep poorly are at greater risk for a number of diseases and health problems. And now the search is on to discover why this might be.
We all have some sense of the relationship between sleep and our ability to function throughout the day. After all, everyone has experienced the fatigue, bad mood, or lack of focus that so often follow a night of poor sleep. What many people do not realize is that a lack of sleep—especially on a regular basis—is associated with long-term health consequences, including chronic medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, and that these conditions may lead to a shortened life expectancy. Additional research studies show that habitually sleeping more than nine hours is also associated with poor health.
Researching the Link Between Sleep Duration and Chronic Disease
There are three main types of study that help us understand the links between sleep habits and the risk of developing certain diseases. The first type (called sleep deprivation studies) involves depriving healthy research volunteers of sleep and examining any short-term physiological changes that could trigger disease. Such studies have revealed a variety of potentially harmful effects of sleep deprivation usually associated with increased stress, such as increased blood pressure, impaired control of blood glucose, and increased inflammation.
The second type of research (called cross-sectional epidemiological studies) involves examining questionnaires that provide information about habitual sleep duration and the existence of a particular disease or group of diseases in large populations at one point in time. For example, both reduced and increased sleep duration, as reported on questionnaires, are linked with hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. However, cross-sectional studies cannot explain how too little or too much sleep leads to disease because people may have a disease that affects sleep, rather than a sleep habit that causes a disease to occur or worsen.
The third and most convincing type of evidence that long-term sleep habits are associated with the development of numerous diseases comes from tracking the sleep habits and disease patterns over long periods of time in individuals who are initially healthy (i.e., longitudinal epidemiological studies). We do not yet know whether adjusting one’s sleep can reduce the risk of eventually developing a disease or lessen the severity of an ongoing disease. However, the results from longitudinal epidemiological studies are now beginning to suggest that this is likely.
Below is some of the evidence demonstrating the relationship between sleep habits and risk for developing certain medical conditions.
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease and Hypertension
- Mood Disorders
- Immune Function
- Alcohol
- Life Expectancy
What Are Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency?
Sleep deprivation is a condition that occurs if you don't get enough sleep. Sleep deficiency is a broader concept. It occurs if you have one or more of the following:
- You don't get enough sleep (sleep deprivation)
- You sleep at the wrong time of day
- You don't sleep well or get all the different types of sleep your body needs
- You have a sleep disorder that prevents you from getting enough sleep or causes poor-quality sleep
This topic focuses on sleep deficiency.
Sleeping is a basic human need, like eating, drinking, and breathing. Like these other needs, sleeping is vital for good health and well-being throughout your lifetime.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 3 adults in the United States reported not getting enough rest or sleep every day.
Nearly 40% of adults report falling asleep during the day without meaning to at least once a month. Also, an estimated 50 to 70 million Americans have chronic, or ongoing, sleep disorders.
Sleep deficiency can lead to physical and mental health problems, injuries, loss of productivity, and even a greater likelihood of death. To understand sleep deficiency, it helps to understand what makes you sleep and how it affects your health.
Sleep deficiency can interfere with work, school, driving, and social functioning. You might have trouble learning, focusing, and reacting. Also, you might find it hard to judge other people's emotions and reactions. Sleep deficiency also can make you feel frustrated, cranky, or worried in social situations.
The symptoms of sleep deficiency may differ between children and adults. Children who are sleep deficient might be overly active and have problems paying attention. They also might misbehave, and their school performance can suffer.
Sleep deficiency is linked to many chronic health problems, including heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression.
Sleep deficiency is also linked to a higher chance of injury in adults, teens, and children. For example, sleepiness while driving (not related to alcohol) is responsible for serious car crash injuries and death. In older adults, sleep deficiency may be linked to a higher chance of falls and broken bones.
Sleep deficiency has also played a role in human mistakes linked to tragic accidents, such as nuclear reactor meltdowns, grounding of large ships, and plane crashes.
A common myth is that people can learn to get by on little sleep with no negative effects. However, research shows that getting enough quality sleep at the right times is vital for mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety.
 |
| Side Effect of Sleep Deprivation |
10 Effects of Long-Term Sleep Deprivation
Hypertension
Getting less than 5 to 6 hours of sleep per night has been linked to an elevated instance of hypertension. Because sleep helps our bodies regulate hormones that cause stress, a lack of rest can amplify the effects of stress on the body. Long-term sleep deprivation has been associated with increased blood pressure, higher heart rate and inflammation. All of this puts unnecessary strain on your heart.
Heart Attack & Stroke
Sleep deficiency causes a greater instance of fatal cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks and stroke. Doctors and researchers believe this is because the lack of sleep may disrupt the parts of the brain which control the circulatory system or cause inflammation that makes the development of a blood clot more likely.
Weight Gain & Obesity
The effects of continual sleep problems include rapid weight gain. A lack of sleep is related to higher amounts of cortisol, a stress hormone; the resulting anxiety, stress and frustration often contribute to emotional eating and poor nutritional habits. Another hormone, called ghrelin, is produced in the stomach and has been associated with sleep long-term deprivation; an excess of ghrelin can actually make people feel more hungry.
Over time, sleep deprivation negatively impacts the body’s metabolism and eating habits. Tiredness often leads to unhealthy cravings and overindulgence, accompanied by a decrease in stamina and physical activity. Research has shown that people who feel unrested are more likely to choose foods that are rich in carbohydrates and sugar.
Mathematics tells us that a decrease in exercise, combined with an increase in the amount eaten plus an increase in the caloric value of the food ingested, equals weight gain. Obesity is a known risk factor for insomniacs.
Diabetes
Getting as much as 5 hours of sleep at night is still not enough. Research has shown that sleep deprivation may disrupt the body’s method for processing glucose which cells use for fuel and the amount of insulin that the body produces. This is why it’s considered a significant risk factor in the development of type 2 diabetes.
Depression & Anxiety
Most people feel irritable if they haven’t had a good night’s sleep, but long-term sleep deprivation has been linked clinical depression and a more general loss of motivation. Contrarily, patients with depression often have irregular sleep schedules. Sleep cycles and mood regulation are both regulated by the hormone melatonin. In fact, lower levels of melatonin are often found in people suffering from depression and those affected by insomnia.
Anxiety and panic attacks can also be a common reaction for people struggling with chronic sleep deficiency; they’ve have shown to have a lower tolerance for even mild daily stressors. Like depression, sometimes it can be difficult to understand what came first: anxiety or the sleep disorder.
Faulty Brain Function
After just one unrestful night, we have all experienced mental fog, fatigue, short temper and lack of focus. When the brain is not able to rest enough over a longer period of time, mental faculties can decrease drastically. We know that adequate sleep is necessary for people to feel sharp, concentrate and learn, but it also impacts our problem-solving skills and the ability to regulate our emotions and make decisions. Sleep deprived people also have problems with balance, reflexes and motor skills; as a result, they are much more likely to injure themselves. Drowsiness is a major factor in car accidents.
Memory Loss
Many scientists believe that sleep is important for giving the brain time to organize itself and, specifically, to commit information from the short-term memory to the long-term memory. Adequate sleep is crucial for memory recall. Studies show improvement in memory loss after just one night of restful sleep.
Immune System Deficiency
Like the rest of our body, the immune system performs best when we get adequate sleep. A prolonged lack of sleep causes a similar reaction to high levels of stress; it can decrease your antibody response and make you more vulnerable when you’re exposed to viruses, even the common cold and flu.
Decreased Fertility
Not only can sleep disorders lower libido, they can have a devastating impact on anyone trying to conceive – both men and women. The same part of the brain that controls circadian rhythms also regulates the release of reproductive hormones. Regularly getting fewer than 7 hours of sleep can lead to lower levels of testosterone and the hormones which trigger ovulation, making conception even more difficult.
Psychiatric Disorders
An extreme and long-term lack of sleep can lead to a number of psychiatric disturbances. Some people suffering from extended periods of sleep deprivation have experienced symptoms including disorientation, paranoia and hallucinations. These types of symptoms can sometimes be confused or associated with schizophrenia.
Short & Long-Term Effects of Sleep Deprivation
The main effect of sleep deprivation is excessive daytime sleepiness, which can lead to traffic accidents and workplace injuries. Sleep deprivation also has both short and long-term impacts on your health.
Short-Term Effects:
- Drowsiness, leading to drowsy driving
- Forgetfulness
- Distractibility
- Decreased performance and alertness
- Memory and cognitive impairment
- Stressed relationships
- Occupational and/or motor vehicle injury
Long-Term Effects:
- High blood pressure
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Obesity
- Psychiatric problems, including depression, anxiety and other mood disorders
- Poor quality of life
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your Body
Not getting enough sleep drains your mental abilities and puts your physical health at risk. Science has linked inadequate slumber with a number of health problems, from weight gain to a weakened immune system.
 |
| Effect of Sleep Deprivation |
Effects of lack of sleep on the body
Central nervous system
Your central nervous system is the main information highway of your body. Sleep is necessary to keep it functioning properly, but chronic insomnia can disrupt how your body usually sends and processes information.
During sleep, pathways form between nerve cells (neurons) in your brain that help you remember new information you’ve learned. Sleep deprivation leaves your brain exhausted, so it can’t perform its duties as well.
You may also find it more difficult to concentrate or learn new things. The signals your body sends may also be delayed, decreasing your coordination and increasing your risk for accidents.
Sleep deprivation also negatively affects your mental abilities and emotional state. You may feel more impatient or prone to mood swings. It can also compromise decision-making processes and creativity.
If sleep deprivation continues long enough, you could start having hallucinations — seeing or hearing things that aren’t really there. A lack of sleep can also trigger mania in people who have bipolar mood disorder.
Other psychological risks include:
- Impulsive behavior
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Paranoia
- Suicidal thoughts
You may also end up experiencing microsleep during the day. During these episodes, you’ll fall asleep for a few to several seconds without realizing it.
Microsleep is out of your control and can be extremely dangerous if you’re driving. It can also make you more prone to injury if you operate heavy machinery at work and have a microsleep episode.
Immune system
While you sleep, your immune system produces protective, infection-fighting substances like antibodies and cytokines. It uses these substances to combat foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses.
Certain cytokines also help you to sleep, giving your immune system more efficiency to defend your body against illness.
Sleep deprivation prevents your immune system from building up its forces. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body may not be able to fend off invaders, and it may also take you longer to recover from illness.
Long-term sleep deprivation also increases your risk for chronic conditions, such as diabetes mellitus and heart disease.
Respiratory system
The relationship between sleep and the respiratory system goes both ways. A nighttime breathing disorder called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can interrupt your sleep and lower sleep quality.
As you wake up throughout the night, this can cause sleep deprivation, which leaves you more vulnerable to respiratory infections like the common cold and flu. Sleep deprivation can also make existing respiratory diseases worse, such as chronic lung illness.
Digestive system
Along with eating too much and not exercising, sleep deprivation is another risk factor for becoming overweight and obese. Sleep affects the levels of two hormones, leptin and ghrelin, which control feelings of hunger and fullness.
Leptin tells your brain that you’ve had enough to eat. Without enough sleep, your brain reduces leptin and raises ghrelin, which is an appetite stimulant. The flux of these hormones could explain nighttime snacking or why someone may overeat later in the night.
A lack of sleep can also make you feel too tired to exercise. Over time, reduced physical activity can make you gain weight because you’re not burning enough calories and not building muscle mass.
Sleep deprivation also causes your body to release less insulin after you eat. Insulin helps to reduce your blood sugar (glucose) level.
Sleep deprivation also lowers the body’s tolerance for glucose and is associated with insulin resistance. These disruptions can lead to diabetes mellitus and obesity.
Cardiovascular system
Sleep affects processes that keep your heart and blood vessels healthy, including those that affect your blood sugar, blood pressure, and inflammation levels. It also plays a vital role in your body’s ability to heal and repair the blood vessels and heart.
People who don’t sleep enough are more likely to get cardiovascular disease. One analysis linked insomnia to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Endocrine system
Hormone production is dependent on your sleep. For testosterone production, you need at least 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep, which is about the time of your first R.E.M. episode. Waking up throughout the night could affect hormone production.
This interruption can also affect growth hormone production, especially in children and adolescents. These hormones help the body build muscle mass and repair cells and tissues, in addition to other growth functions.
The pituitary gland releases growth hormone throughout each day, but adequate sleep and exercise also help the release of this hormone.
Treatment for sleep deprivation
The most basic form of sleep deprivation treatment is getting an adequate amount of sleep, typically 7 to 9 hours each night.
This is often easier said than done, especially if you’ve been deprived of precious shut-eye for several weeks or longer. After this point, you may need help from your doctor or a sleep specialist who, if needed, can diagnose and treat a possible sleep disorder.
Sleep disorders may make it difficult to get quality sleep at night. They may also increase your risk for the above effects of sleep deprivation on the body.
The following are some of the most common types of sleep disorders:
- obstructive sleep apnea
- narcolepsy
- restless leg syndrome
- insomnia
- circadian rhythm disorders
To diagnose these conditions, your doctor may order a sleep study. This is traditionally conducted at a formal sleep center, but now there are options to measure your sleep quality at home, too.
If you’re diagnosed with a sleep disorder, you may be given medication or a device to keep your airway open at night (in the case of obstructive sleep apnea) to help combat the disorder so you can get a better night’s sleep on a regular basis.
