Poor Sleep Ruins Health: 5 Shocking Facts!

Sleep works to heal our body and mind. It is sleep that gives us the energy to stay recharged. Our sleep decides how our whole day will go. Poor sleep worsens our mood, weakens our immune system, and increases the risk of serious illnesses. That’s why it is essential to get enough rest. Let’s know through this blogpost that which aspects of our body are affected by lack of sleep.

1) Poor Sleep Impacts Mood and Mental Health

Table of Contents

Sleep is essential for human health and can be a strong indicator of how a person’s mental health is doing.
Sleeping poorly has a negative effect on our emotions & Poor sleeping can be detrimental to our emotion well being.

We are easily annoyed and can easily snap at people.
People get anxious after only two nights of poor sleep.
It may seem counterintuitive, but our brain could shut down for short periods even if we are awake.

This lack of control over emotions and sudden mood swings makes daily life harder.

A tired individual sitting at a cluttered desk with dark circles under their eyes, symbolizing the effects of poor sleep on productivity and mental health. — The Impact of Poor Sleep on Productivity

2) Control and Coordination of Circadian Rhythm and Hormonal balance

Our body naturally follows a 24-hour cycle, known as the circadian rhythm. This circadian rhythm is our internal clock. It regulates our sleep and wake pattern. This clock responds to light and darkness.

In the morning, the body produces cortisol in order to get us out of bed.
During the night, it releases melatonin for the purpose of making us sleep.
In this case, if this rhythm is disturbed, melatonin production is affected. This can lead to conditions such as Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD). When your sleep schedule is disrupted, these hormones are out of balance and then people with DSPD syndrome feel tired all the time and have trouble falling asleep.
This causes fatigue, delayed sleep patterns, and difficulty staying alert during the day.

3) Poor Sleep Weakens our Immune System

Sleep is important in boosting the immune system to help fight off diseases.

A good deep sleep is very important because it helps boost our immunity. At deep sleep time T cells are produced in our body. These cells protect our system fight against diseases and maintain our health.
Lack of sleep decreases the number of T cells that are produced in the body. Cortisol is an example of stress hormones, which reduces the capacity of our immune system even further.

This make us prone to contracting diseases such as colds, flu and other sicknesses that are common during the cold season.

4) Lack of Sleep – A Leading Cause of Chronic Inflammation

Lack of sleep causes inflammation in our body and inflammation is associated with heart diseases, diabetes and high blood pressure. Lack of sleep raises inflammation indicators in our body. Over time, this can lead to:

Heart disease: Lack of sleep causes stress on the heart and high blood pressure levels.
Diabetes: Insulin sensitivity decreases which leads to increase in blood glucose concentrations.
Weight gain: Sleep deprivation affects hunger hormones meaning you get hungry frequently and overeat.

It shows that having a sleep schedule can decrease inflammation and keep us healthy.

An illustration of a glowing brain over a pillow, emphasizing how sleep supports memory, focus, and toxin removal for a healthy brain. — ***The Importance of Sleep for Brain Health***

5) The Effects of Sleep on the Brain

Sleep, just like a computer, is a reset-button to the brain and to the body. Sleep helps the brain to work properly. It is a time when the brain forms memories and also flushes out toxins. If the human body does not get enough sleep, then all these processes are slowed down. This impacts on our concentration, memory and even our ability to reason on an issue. If one suffers from poor sleep for some time they will find that their ability to think and perform regular activities is slightly impaired.

Memory: Sleep consolidates memories and helps to remember them.
Focus: Rest assists in concentration and decision-making processes as well in making faster decisions.
Toxin removal: Our brain removes waste products during sleep hence avoiding the deterioration of brain cells.

If we do not get enough sleep, we will be drowsy, likely to forget things and not as efficient as we would like.

Quick Tips for Better Sleep

Follow these simple habits to improve your sleep quality:

Stick to a schedule: Try to create a sleep schedule and stick with one consistent sleep-wake cycle atleast for a month.
Limit screen time: Do not use phone and computers one to two hours before going to bed.
Create a calming space: Ensure that your bedroom is very silent, very dull and not hot.
Watch your diet: Avoid taking coffee or other foods that contain caffeine, and large meals before going to sleep.

Such alterations can do a lot to establish performance or no performance in those who undergo the change.

Conclusion : Why You Must Prioritize Sleep?

Good sleep is not optional. It is important for our body, mind and spirit and can do us a whole world of good! Sleep deprivation affects all aspects of health. They affect our emotional wellbeing, our ability to resist diseases, and the state of our brain. It also increases the risk of having chronic illnesses to the body. Go to bed at the same time as well as avoid most electronics before going to bed and make sure the bedroom is fit for sleep. Everything that have been mentioned above will improve your sleep and hence will improve your quality life.
Lifestyle modification should not wait for a specific time; start counting our z’s for a better us today. This blogpost is shared through my own personal experiences and is very very close to my heart. Cheers to the healthy life!