Sleep deprivation and its importance for health. What can sleep disturbances lead to?

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Lack of sleep is a common social problem of the XNUMXst century, although it has been known for a long time. Sleep disturbance is a condition that results from physical or mental health problems. The effects of lack of sleep may be visible the very next day, but also manifest themselves in the form of chronic diseases. What diseases are caused by lack of sleep?

1. Sleep is the time when the body can regenerate after a day of exercise
2. When we sleep too little or sleep quality is poor, this natural recovery is not effective
3. This, in turn, exposes us to serious health problems
4. More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.

What is the harmfulness of sleep deprivation?

Lack of sleep can determine both insufficient sleep time per day and its unsatisfactory quality. Such states affect not only well-being, causing lack of sleep and less efficient functioning. The importance of sleep for the body is much broader. It is the basis for numerous physiological processes affecting metabolic balance, immunity, cell regeneration and the work of the nervous system. For this reason, the lack of sleep indirectly contributes to the imbalance of the processes taking place in the human body.

An example of the harmfulness of lack of sleep may be a decrease in the regenerative capacity of cells. As a result, the body recovers more slowly in the event of tissue damage, inflammation or infection. Anyone can also see the impact of sleep deprivation on the functioning of the brain on a daily basis – slower association, problems with concentration and remembering, as well as a depressed mood.

During the “Polish woman in Europe” conference, Dr. Michał Michalik, MD, PhD pointed out that sleep is essential for proper functioning, and all its disturbances increase the risk of developing serious diseases.

What are the most common causes of sleep deprivation?

Sleep deficiencies can result from lifestyle and overwork. Professionally active people who carry out many orders, work several jobs or work in medical professions often sleep too little. Also, combining work and private life may require deliberately sacrificing sleep for the sake of duties or entertainment. Leading a sleep-restricted lifestyle for a long time has negative health effects. Sometimes the lack of rest or lower-quality sleep is also the result of factors beyond our control.

The most common sleep disorder is insomnia, i.e. a general deterioration of sleep quality, problems falling asleep, waking up too early, and lack of continuity of sleep during the night. The causes of insomnia include:

1. obstructive sleep apnea, which may manifest as snoring;
2. medical conditions such as nocturia (night urination) and rheumatic pain;
3. psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders;
4. severe stress;
5. neurological disorders;
6. gastrointestinal or liver diseases;
7. the use of certain drugs and psychoactive substances.

What are the effects of sleep deprivation?

People who experience sleep deprivation can suffer from a variety of ailments, regardless of the causes of lack of sleep or reduced sleep quality. Even isolated cases of not getting enough sleep at night or delaying sleep for more than a day cause temporary symptoms. Belong to them:

1. tiredness;
2. headaches;
3. irritability;
4. daytime sleepiness or sleepiness with daily activities;
5. deterioration of concentration;
6. light sleep and frequent waking.

Sleep deprivation not only does it make it difficult for the body to function properly in the short term, but it has long-term consequences. As a result of disorders and lack of sleep, the risk of developing many chronic diseases increases. The mortality rate of patients struggling with chronic sleep problems is also increasing. Such a relationship between sleep and the health of the body results from the multifaceted links with nutritional problems and psychosomatic diseases.

Lack of sleep can cause a variety of ailments and diseases, including:

1. overweight and obesity – such conditions are caused by metabolic and hormonal disorders caused by a lack of sleep, which lead to eating disorders, which are accompanied by increased appetite, bouts of night eating or a feeling of need for caloric products;
2. diabetes – the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes increases by disturbing the body’s carbohydrate balance;
3. Bowel Disease – Inflammation of the gut and Crohn’s disease may be aggravated by sleep deprivation;
4. cardiovascular diseases including ischemic disease and hypertension;
5. dementia – studies show that insomnia and short sleep times increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s; Poor sleep quality interferes with the regenerative processes in the brain, which exacerbates the symptoms of diseases that develop with age, including Alzheimer’s and dementia;
6. symptoms similar to schizophrenia – this type of ailments are possible in the case of lack of sleep for a minimum of a day, because the ability to concentrate and analyze information deteriorates, and the sensitivity to external stimuli increases;
7. decrease in libido;
8. tumors.

Lack of sleep increases the risk of premature death of those struggling with this problem, which may be caused by cardiovascular diseases.

Sound recordings that help you fall asleep are a safe way to help with sleep disorders. It is a completely safe method that does not require the use of pharmacological agents.

Sleep apnea – how to recognize it?

Sleep problems are easier to detect if they are awake and the patient is aware that they are not getting enough sleep during the night. Less obvious may be inadequate sleep quality as a result of breathing problems. Obstructive sleep apnea is especially harmful to your health. It is a condition that causes the patient to have repeated episodes of disturbance of the airflow through the respiratory tract during the night. This means that even several times an hour, it stops breathing for about 10 seconds.

As Dr. Michalik recalls, approx. 7-8 percent. snorers suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. Patients at night are accompanied by additional symptoms such as difficulty falling asleep, shortness of breath immediately after waking up, excessive sweating or palpitations. The result of night apnea is also ailments such as headaches, deterioration of concentration, depression or drying of the mucosa.

Problems with insomnia should not be taken lightly, especially if they are accompanied by the above-mentioned symptoms. Diagnosis causes of sleep disturbances it is possible thanks to ENT examinations. Most of the structural abnormalities of the nose (e.g., the curved septum of the nose) and the pharynx (hypertrophy of the tonsil or soft palate) can be successfully treated by eliminating the cause of the abnormal airflow, and thus insomnia.