Table of contents:
- The risk of lack of sleep for health
- Obesity
- Diabetes mellitus type 2
- Heart disease and hypertension
- Distraction mood
- Decreased immune function
- Reduced skin health
- How do I make up for the lack of sleep?
You must have felt sleep deprivation. Sleep only for a few hours because you have to stay up late doing college assignments, office work, or other reasons. The next day, you will feel sleepy throughout the day, feel faint, lack focus, lack of enthusiasm, or mood You become so bad that you get angry easily. Many people do not realize that it all happens because of lack of sleep at night.
Not only does it have an effect on the next day, lack of sleep also has an effect on long-term health.
The risk of lack of sleep for health
Lack of sleep is linked to chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Several studies have shown a link between sleep habits and risk of disease.
Obesity
Lack of sleep can increase your risk of gaining weight. Research shows that people who sleep less than 6 hours per night have a higher Body Mass Index (BMI) and people who sleep 8 hours per night have the lowest BMI. BMI is a measuring tool for a person who is said to have a thin or fat body based on their height. The fatter the body, the higher the BMI he has.
Lack of sleep is associated with increased hunger and appetite, leading to weight gain and obesity. During sleep, the body produces hormones that help control appetite, energy metabolism and glucose processing. Lack of sleep disrupts these and other hormones.
Lack of sleep is associated with hormones that regulate appetite, namely lower levels of leptin (a hormone that stimulates satiety signals to the brain) and higher levels of grelin (a hormone that stimulates hunger signals to the brain). Thus, lack of sleep makes the body feel hungry, even if we have eaten.
Lack of sleep can also increase the production of the hormone cortisol or the stress hormone and is also associated with increased insulin production. Insulin is a hormone that regulates glucose and fat storage. High insulin levels are associated with weight gain, a risk factor for obesity.
Diabetes mellitus type 2
Lack of sleep is associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Research shows that lack of sleep can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus because it affects the work of glucose in the body. Studies that reduce sleep time in healthy people from 8 hours to just 4 hours per night show that their bodies process glucose longer than if they slept for 12 hours. During sleep, the body continues to process glucose to maintain blood sugar levels.
Heart disease and hypertension
Lack of sleep can contribute to a rise in blood pressure. Research shows that even one night people who have hypertension (high blood pressure) are not getting enough sleep, which can cause their blood pressure to rise in the following days. This impact can develop into heart disease and stroke. People who already have hypertension should get enough sleep at night so as not to worsen the disease. Other studies have shown that sleeping too little (less than 5 hours) and sleeping too much (more than 9 hours) can increase a woman's risk of coronary heart disease.
Distraction mood
Just a day's sleep deprivation at night can cause you to become irritable and moody the next day. Long-term sleep problems, such as insomnia, have been linked to depression, anxiety and mental stress. Research conducted on 10,000 people showed that people with insomnia were five times more likely to become depressed than those who did not.
Another study reported that people who slept 4.5 hours per night showed more feelings of stress, sadness, anger, and mental exhaustion. People who slept 4 hours per night also showed a decrease in optimism and social skills. It has also been reported that all the consequences of this lack of sleep can be overcome when the person returns to normal sleep duration.
Decreased immune function
When you are sick, you will usually be advised to sleep more. Sick people who sleep are more able to fight off infection than those who sleep less when sick. The body produces more immune cells to help fight infections when sick. This harder work of the body causes the body to become tired, so sleep is needed for the body to produce energy again.
In addition, lack of sleep can also make your body susceptible to disease. The body and its systems need rest time to replenish their energy after being tired of doing many activities throughout the day. However, if you don't give your body enough time to rest, your body can become weak and susceptible to disease.
Reduced skin health
Lack of sleep can cause skin to become less firm, causing fine lines and dark circles under the eyes in many people. This happens because lack of sleep makes the body produce the hormone cortisol in excess and causes the body to break down collagen in the skin so that the collagen content in the skin decreases. This is not good for skin health. Collagen is a protein that makes skin smooth and elastic.
How do I make up for the lack of sleep?
The only way to regain your lost sleep time is to get more sleep. You can make up for the time you sleep less on holidays. Try to get an hour or more of your night's sleep. All you have to do is sleep when you feel tired at night, and allow your body to wake up in the morning on its own. That way, you will slowly get to your normal sleep time.
Reduce the habit of staying up late at night if there is nothing to do. Also, try to reduce your consumption of caffeinated drinks. Caffeinated drinks may help you reduce nighttime sleepiness for a few hours, but the downside is that they can damage your sleep patterns in the long run.
