Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your Body

What Happens When You Lack Sufficient Sleep

by Lee A. Surkin, MD, FACC, FCCP, FASNC, FAASM

Baggy eyes and low energy levels aren’t the only consequences of sleep deprivation. Indeed, lack of sleep can negatively affect both physical and mental health. Therefore, it is key that you try to get the recommended amount of sleep each night, which is 7 to 9 hours for adults.

Now, let’s have a closer look at the seven most common consequences of insufficient sleep:

1. Poor Concentration

Missing out on quality sleep can reduce your efficiency to function throughout the entire day. Even after just one night of poor sleep, you can experience trouble focusing, concentrating, and decision-making. What’s more, a poor night’s sleep makes it a lot harder to acquire new knowledge and learn. Similarly, you won’t be efficient at work if you experience a lack of sleep.

2. Impaired Memory

According to one study, impaired memory is also one of the potential consequences of insufficient sleep (Vaseghi et al., 2021). This study was conducted on people who used to have a healthy sleep pattern and then fell to fewer than six hours of sleep per night and found that those people were subjected to accelerated cognitive aging – a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

3. Mental Health Issues

As already noted, sleep is vital for maintaining optimal mental health. Indeed, research shows that sleep deprivation can put you at a higher risk for depression and anxiety. This is so because serotonin, known as the happy hormone, helps to regulate sleep and can be thrown out of sync in case of sleep deficiency. In other words, your mental health could suffer if you lack sleep.

4. Skin Problems

Although it may sound surprising, your skin could also start to look bad if you aren’t getting enough sleep. Not only could you get those dark circles under the eyes, but your skin will also begin to show more symptoms of sleep deficiency over time. Common signs of sleep-related bad skin include more fine lines and wrinkles, a paler skin tone, and dehydrated skin.

5. Heart Health Problems

Unfortunately, sleep deprivation can have negative consequences on your heart health. That said, following a balanced diet and regular exercise aren’t enough for optimal heart health. Indeed, you should get a good night’s sleep, i.e. at least seven hours per night, regularly if you want to avoid the risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, and even stroke.

6. Weight Issues

One study showed a remarkably strong connection between obesity and getting less than six hours of sleep each night (Beccuti & Pannain, 2011). Namely, sleep plays an important role in restoring the body’s natural processes, as well as allowing the hunger hormones to function properly. Otherwise, in case of sleep deprivation, you’re likely to consume more calories, and thus gain weight.

7. Compromised Immune System

Last but not least, just like hormone regulation, the immune system needs adequate sleep to function properly and fight off illnesses. Namely, getting insufficient sleep regularly has been closely linked with coming down with a cold. Therefore, you must get enough sleep every night if you want your body to be able to ward off illnesses.

Summary

The bottom line, the consequences of sleep deprivation on your health are remarkable. Thus, consider making sleep your number one priority if you want to avoid all the negative effects associated with lack of sleep.