The Consequences of Poor Sleep
M
issing one night of sleep is a normal occurrence for individuals around the globe. But what if you lack sleep on a regular basis? Or if you’re unable to obtain quality sleep due to a sleep disorder? Then, the consequences may be more serious.
ally causes fatigue, poor concentration and reduced memory. Stretching one poor night into chronic sleep loss can Liborio Parrino, PhD lead to irritability, mood swings, and several mental disorders such as depression.
Sufficient sleep is one of the pillars of good health, along with regular exercise and a balanced diet. We charOutside physical health, poor attenacterize good quality sleep tion while driving increases as having sufficient durathe risk of motor vehicle tion, satisfactory depth, accidents. And on the job, seamless continuity and Recurring lack of sleep deprivation reduces well-balanced architecwork productivity. In the quality sleep can U.S., the economic cost of ture. Recurring lack of lead to quality sleep can lead insufficient sleep among the to long-term health long-term health working population is $411 risks such as hypertenbillion per year. risks such as sion, diabetes, heart hypertension, disease, stroke, cogniBecause sleep deprivation diabetes, heart tive alterations, and shortens telomere length in disease, stroke, possibly even cancer. DNA which facilitates chaotic cellular growth, it can cognitive When children are alterations and even increase the risk of various deprived of sleep, they forms of cancer. gait disturbance. become irritable and hyperactive. Since the Clinical studies suggest that major episode of growth telomere shortening may be a hormone liberation occontributing factor for breast curs in association with deep sleep, cancer risk among female shift workers sleep deprivation can lead to stunted like nurses and flight attendants. growth. One study is searching for biomarkers in saliva and hair samples If your sleep is insufficient, impaired of toddlers who are not sleeping well, by a relevant sleep disorder or of poor meaning very soon researchers could quality, the risk to jeopardize healthy have biological aging is statistically high and menacing evidence that lack and we ask that you consult a medical of sleep harms professional about better sleep. developing minds and bodies. In an adult, sleep deprivation looks Antonio Culebras, MD different. It usu22 | healthiersleepmag.com
Bedtime Reads
Looking to learn even more? Each issue, we highlight one book about sleep. Check out this bestseller in sleep. Arianna Huffington, of The Huffington Post and Thrive Global, is the author of The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time. “Arianna Huffington shows how our cultural dismissal of sleep as time wasted compromises our health and our decision-making and undermines our work lives, our personal lives— and even our sex lives in this New York Times bestseller.” —ariannahuffington.com
