Sleep is necessary to your total well-being, but so many are getting fewer hours of sleep as they should. Work, family, love, health condition, school, and meetings are things that deprive people of getting enough sleep. Have you realized how you felt the next day after having just a few hours of sleep? You will feel tired, cranky, and out of sorts and your performance at work will go down. The physical impact of losing sleep is the tendency to want to sleep at work. Notwithstanding, some chronic health conditions can deprive people of getting some sleep. The long-term effects of sleep deprivation are real and dangerous to our health, hence the call for enough sleep. The truth is that sleep deprivation drains your mental abilities, work performance, and puts your physical health at real risk because you could be faced with a breakdown of the body. Medical experts have linked poor slumber with all kinds of health problems which affect the body negatively; from weight gain to a weakened immune system. You must make up your mind to sleep for about 8-9 hours regularly. I have a personal experience of the effect of depriving myself enough sleep. As a fibromyalgia sufferer, I find it very painful sleeping. Most times, I could just lay in my bed for long time without sleeping due to the pain I get from it. I realized that so many chronic diseases could deprive people of having enough sleep, so it can be induced for some people, while to others it is man-made.
Your body needs enough sleep regularly, just as it needs air and food to function at its best; the impact of having enough sleep is parallel to a good health condition. During sleep time, your body heals itself of any stress and pressure; and restores its chemical balance to a normal level. In this time of sleep too, your brain forges new connections to and from the body, and helps enhance memory retention. Without enough sleep on a daily basis, your brain and body systems won’t function normally because they would be stretched beyond their limit. And can break down at any time; it can drastically lower your quality of life and your body performance.
Effects of sleep on the central nervous system:
Anytime you lose sleep, then it has a corresponding negative effect on your nervous system, this is because the central nervous system is the information pathway of your body system. Therefore, taking a good rest is necessary to keep it functioning properly and always, though chronic insomnia can disrupt how your body sends information through the central nervous system. Medically, when you sleep, communication pathways form between nerve cells (neurons) in your brain which helps you to remember new information you’ve learned and also refresh your entire mental performance. But what does sleep deprivation do to the central nervous system? It does a whole lot to it; it leaves your brain exhausted and stretched beyond its elastic limit, so it can’t perform its duties in the capacity it used to perform. You may also find it harder to concentrate or learn new things the next day after taking a little sleep. Also, the signals your body sends and receives will be delayed as a result of a breakdown in its function, thus, decreasing your coordination skills and increasing your risks for accidents on the road or office place. For fibromyalgia sufferers, sleep deprivation affects your emotions; first, you feel stressed and inpatient. Secondly, you are more prone to a mood swing which can affect those around you.
• Impulsive behavior
• Depression
• Weak
• Paranoia
• Suicidal thoughts
• Micro sleep
The above-listed impacts are what fibromyalgia sufferers may encounter as an effect of sleep deprivation.
Effects of sleep on the Immune System:
While you sleep or engage in a proper rest time, your immune system produces protective, infection-fighting substances like cytokines which help to protect the body from any potential disease or infections. The body uses these substances to combat foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses from having any effect on you. Cytokines also help you engage in deep sleep, boosting your entire immune system to defend your body against potential illness. Thus, sleep deprivation prevents your immune system from building up its forces; it prevents the formation of cytokines. If you don’t sleep regularly, your body will be weak both physically and internally; hence, it may not be able to keep off invaders. For those having any chronic disease, what your body truly needs is a strong immune system. Hence you need not deprive yourself some sleep. Because depriving yourself sleep makes it difficult to recover from any illness. Indulging in a prolonged sleep deprivation also increases your risk of getting other chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. So balance your career life and realize that no work is complete until it is done safely. You will spend enough money treating what sleep could have prevented. Sleeping costs nothing, so take advantage of that gift of nature.
Effect of sleep deprivation on the respiratory system:
There is a direct relationship between sleep and the respiratory system. A night time breathing disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can impede and reduce the quality of sleep you will have. Waking up in at night can lead to sleep deprivation, which leaves your body more vulnerable to respiratory infections such as common cold and flu. Sleep deprivation can also make fibromyalgia and other chronic diseases worse than they already are. So balance your work life and sleep time.
Helpful tips to getting a sound sleep
These tips can help you beyond your expectations. It helped me.
• Stop watching TV or surfing the Internet before going to sleep
• Get regular exercise or workout
• Herbal Supplements
• Choice of Mattress
• Prescription sleep remedies
• Simulate your sleep breath
I am one of those Fibro sufferers that does not sleep. I used to be able to fall asleep with no problem and stay asleep through the night but that all changed. I was already exhausted and then add sleep deprivation on top of that, and it is a huge disaster. I spoke to my doctor who had me start taking one Melatonin, one L-Tryptophan, and 4 oz. of Tart Cherry Juice. Sounds like a weird combination, but it worked. I was not sure if I was just beyond exhausted and wanted it to work so I had my husband try it, who has a major problem with sleep, and it worked on him. I was delighted as I finally found something that did not make me feel groggy, overly medicated and I was getting the sleep I needed.
Remember it is all about having balance in your life, health and nutrition and it is possible to obtain.
