Hello dear blog readers! Our senses are most active during the day, we cannot see in the dark, and our skin needs daylight to make it easier for the body to produce vitamins, so the question: “Is it bad to stay awake at night?”, I think, is rhetorical. Therefore, let’s look together at all the dangers that insomnia or a nocturnal lifestyle leads to.
The influence of melatonin
I have already told you about a person’s biorhythms, and that if he is still awake at 2 o’clock in the morning, this can eventually lead to depression and a loss of the «taste of life». All due to the fact that it is at this time that our body produces melatonin, a hormone that regulates our sleep. That is, if there is a lack of it, and people who lead a nocturnal lifestyle have a significant lack, it is likely that insomnia, nightmares will appear, and the dream itself will be superficial, during which the body’s resources will not be replenished.
Have you noticed that after a sleepless night it takes several days to recover? Move on. During a deep, full sleep, our nervous system finally rests, the brain processes the information that has been received during the day, and the work of all organs and systems of our body is normalized. What happens if you bring down the natural biorhythm? You simply deprive yourself of the opportunity to lead a healthy, active life and feel young and vigorous. Melatonin generally plays almost the main role in our body, since:
- Regulates the activity of the thyroid gland;
- Has a stimulating effect in the sexual sphere;
- Suspends the aging process;
- Regulates pressure, the work of brain cells, as well as digestion;
- Helps to adapt when changing time zones;
- Has antioxidant properties.
Research
Scientists, in order to avoid death, did not complete the experiment, so they did not give a clear answer on how many people can do without sleep, if only because they could not exclude during the experiment such breaks for the brain as superficial short-term sleep.
On the first day, the subjects felt lethargic, on the second day they became distracted and aggressive. On the third day, hallucinations were already appearing, on the fourth, they looked incredibly exhausted and exhausted.
The maximum period without proper rest is 5 days, then the experiments were stopped due to the threat of death, since already on the third day brain cells begin to die.
Aftermath
It is believed that if a person cannot fall asleep at least three times a week, this indicates the presence of insomnia. And if he sleeps less than 6 hours, or with interruptions, for example, in connection with work, where there is a rotational regime, then chronic sleep deprivation may well develop. This state is equivalent to the one that a person feels if he does not sleep for two days, that is, lethargy and aggressiveness. And if you read my article about ways to change your character in order to become kinder and gentler, maybe it’s not about character, but you just need to rest more?
Do you know how much a person should sleep? On average, from 6 to 8 hours, there are times when 5 hours is enough, but such people are very rare.
So, the consequences of non-compliance with sleep:
- Immunity decreases, and as a result, there is a risk of various infections that lymphocytes cannot fight back.
- Stress resistance is at a minimum, so not only the body will suffer, but also relationships with loved ones and at work. Irritable people are usually shunned, and this is a significant obstacle to achieving their goals.
- The risk of developing cancer is growing.
- Metabolism is disturbed, so people who lack sleep or insomnia are more prone to obesity.
- There is a risk of developing a disease such as diabetes mellitus.
- Due to the lack of a normal amount of melatonin, hypertension occurs, that is, the pressure rises.
- There are problems with blood vessels and the heart, the risk of getting a stroke or cardiac arrest increases significantly.
- Impotence or decreased arousal.
- Due to the impact on the psyche and the development of depression, suicidal tendencies may well appear.
- A person ages prematurely because the skin becomes lethargic, as does his well-being. Hair can fade, sometimes even begin to fall out, and the eyes will be watery and red.
- Due to the increase in cortisol, and this is a stress hormone, the renewal of brain cells is suspended.
Among other consequences, there is a huge risk of getting into an accident, because the state of sleep deprivation is very similar to the state that alcohol causes.
Recommendations
- If you find that you have insomnia or lack of sleep, you should not start taking sleeping pills on your own. You can only harm yourself, or become addictive, after which you will have to constantly increase the doses, since without pills it will become completely unrealistic to fall asleep on your own. That is why you should definitely see a specialist who will prescribe a competent and safe treatment.
- If this happens, and you could not rest part of the night, be sure to set aside at least half an hour during the day to take a nap. This will at least give a little vigor and increase efficiency.
- Take a warm bath in the evening or drink a glass of warm milk. I talked about this and what types of insomnia exist in this article.
- Before you get behind the wheel, be sure to listen to your well-being, and if you feel that you need to rest, look for solutions, maybe someone else can drive the car, or there is an opportunity to postpone the trip, after all, you are risking not only your life , but also those around them.
Conclusion
That’s all for today, dear readers! As you can see, the consequences are enormous damage to health, so do not test yourself for strength, and rest as much as you need to feel good. Good luck and take care of yourself!