By: Cheryl M. Luis
Sleeping is one habit that most of us take for granted. As a writer, I often work forgetting the time, sleep was my last priority but as I aged sleep is the most important part of my day. My body is like a Bundy clock that automatically switches on every 5:00 a.m. and turns off at 11:00 p.m.
Many of us are unaware of how essential it is to get a good night’s sleep regularly. When work or deadlines arise, many consider staying up late or “pulling an all-nighter” an efficient way to get everything done.
However, studies show that this is the worst thing you can do – skimping on sleep can cause concentration problems, drowsiness, and irritable moods that affect the way your work is delivered the next day.
What happens when you don’t get the sleep you need?
Increase stress
The best example of this is if you let your work done in one night and you haven’t got enough sleep, the moment you go in the morning you will experience more severe stress in the face and increased blood pressure. While if let your body relax get enough sleep when you get up in the morning you feel fresh and ideas keep pouring into your brain. Your nerves are relaxed and you will easily remember the things you should do.
Disturb mood
Anyone who has felt irritable after a poor night’s sleep understands the profound connection between sleep and mood. Research shows that sleep-deprived people have a much stronger tendency to classify neutral images—such as pictures of ordinary household objects—as “negative,” whereas people who slept the night before labeled them “neutral.” So even minor annoyances can suddenly seem more menacing or unmanageable after skipping or shortening a night of sleep.
Impair ability to concentrate
Some people might say that it’s a fair trade-off to skimp on sleep now and then, saying that a day or two of tiredness and crankiness is worth the extra time they earned. But while returning to a regular sleeping pattern can restore the negative short-term effects of one night of poor sleep, the long-term consequences of regular sleep deprivation that arise under the surface are much more dangerous.
Heightened risk factor for diabetes
Too much sleep can be as bad for you as too little: people who regularly get less than 6 or more than 9 hours of sleep each night are both faced with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes.
Increased risk for breast cancer
A survey of breast cancer patients found a strong association between shorter sleep patterns and recurrence of tumors. This suggests that women who don’t sleep enough each night (less than 6 hours) have an increased risk for more aggressive cancer.
High blood pressure
There is also a strong link between short sleep duration and hypertension, as well as a connection (though not as significant) between too much sleep and hypertension.
Decreased immune function
According to the Mayo Clinic, people who don’t sleep enough each night get less protection from flu vaccines and are more likely to catch a common cold.
Major depression
Manage anxiety and depression insomniacs and others who don’t get adequate sleep each night are ten times as likely to develop major depression as those who sleep through the night. Because depression also harms sleep patterns, this can create a cycle that is hard to break.
Getting a night of quality sleep is the foundation for good health. Catching the right amount of sleep is vital for your body to rebuild tissues, replenish cells, and reclaim lost energy, plus it helps you catalog memories from the day and retains the knowledge you captured each day.
Cheryl M. Luis is the wife of George N. True II. Like her husband, she advocates health and lifestyle writing and vows to continue “Health Frontiers” as her husband’s legacy.
