It can be incredibly easy to forego sleep in the name of productivity such as staying up late to finish an assignment for work or school or telling yourself that one night of poor sleep won’t hurt, but there are consequences that go beyond feeling a little groggy the following day. While a generally regular and consistent sleep schedule with occasional disturbances may not be a cause for concern, when you find yourself consistently running a sleep deficit there could be greater issues at play.
In the Short-Term
The effects of sleep deprivation tend to vary slightly from person to person and with respect to how long one goes without getting proper sleep. In the short-term, you may find yourself struggling with cognitive functions such as concentration and communication as well as inhibited motor functions such as slowed reaction times. You may also find yourself more irritable or cranky than normal due to a lack of sleep.
The signs of sleep deprivation are also slightly different in how they are exhibited when it comes to an individual’s age. The effects mentioned thus far apply primarily to adults, but when children experience a lack of sleep they may become overly active and rambunctious and struggle to pay attention. This activity and inattention can lead to poorer performance in their schooling and may make them more prone to misbehaving. In older adults, sleep deprivation can lead to a lack of coordination which can make them more likely to suffer from falls and broken bones.
In the Long-Term
While the short-term effects of sleep deprivation may seem more like issues for the present that won’t affect us as time goes on, the compounding effects of sleep deprivation can prove to be detrimental to the body’s and mind’s overall health. Sleep deprivation can affect both the mind’s cognitive functions and the body’s coordination and internal functions. For instance, memory issues can be affected and both short-term and long-term memory can be negatively affected by a lack of sleep on a continual basis. Just as with the short-term effects, thinking and concentration can be negatively affected by a lack of sleep leading to difficulties with thinking creatively and with problem solving. Your mood can also be affected also as continual sleep deprivation can lead to anxiety and depression or worsen an existing condition.
As far as bodily functions are concerned, chronic sleep deprivation can lead to weakened immunity, high blood pressure, weight gain, and the risk for diabetes and heart disease. These issues are often interlinked as high blood pressure is linked to inflammation which plays a role in developing heart disease. While these issues are often talked about as potential risks that may arise from running a sleep deficit, few are aware of how they may be linked with one another. Sleeping less than you should on a nightly basis can exacerbate existing issues and unknowingly contribute to the development of others that may not have been a point of concern beforehand.
Am I at Risk of Sleep Deprivation?
While sleep deprivation in the short-term is unlikely to put you at risk for greater health issues such as high blood pressure and weight gain, there are still signs that you can be on track to developing these issues. If you are concerned that you may be experiencing symptoms of sleep deprivation, it may be time to reconsider your sleeping practices and habits, but first you need to know what symptoms to look out for.
Signs of sleep deprivation can include unintentionally falling asleep while doing activities such as reading or watching TV, sleeping in excessively, taking frequent naps, feeling lethargic throughout the day and yawning often, irritability, feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, paranoia, or suicidal thoughts, low motivation, trouble concentrating, trouble with recollection, a lack of balance and coordination, an increased appetite, and a craving for caffeine. While a day of lethargy and a lack of motivation is not the end-all-be-all of determining whether you will develop a more serious condition from sleep deprivation, if you find yourself exhibiting these symptoms on a regular basis, it can be a sign that change is needed in your sleep routine.
What Can I Do About It?
One of the best things you can do to mitigate the effects of sleep deprivation is to implement a more regimented sleep schedule. While the term regimented conjures images of a strict schedule akin to that of the military, what you yourself need is simply a more regular schedule. One way of doing so is maintaining regular sleep and wake times, even on the weekends. It may not be the most exciting to fall asleep and wake up at the same time you would on a Saturday as you would during the workweek, but keeping your body on a consistent schedule helps in maintaining a good circadian rhythm.
Additionally, you must make sure you allocate yourself enough time to actually sleep. While this should be the case if you have a consistent sleep schedule, if you only allow yourself anywhere less than seven hours a night you will not be getting enough sleep per night. If you find yourself struggling to wind down at a certain hour each night, then it could be beneficial to develop a bedtime routine for yourself in order to tell your brain that it is time to wind down for the night. Ways in which you can do so include putting away your blue light-emitting devices that stimulate your brain and promote wakefulness and ensuring that your sleeping environment is dark and conducive to sleep. If you find yourself too awake to wind down at night, it could also be a sign that frequent daytime naps and excessive caffeine consumption may be playing a role in your sleep schedule. These changes can seem overwhelming or excessive, so pare them down to incremental or individual changes to make the approach more, well, approachable.
Key Takeaways
Sleep deprivation is something that has become increasingly easy to dismiss as not a big deal with as many as 1 in 3 US adults reporting that they do not get enough sleep each night according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite its increasing prevalence in the daily lives of many, sleep deprivation can lead to greater health issues such as high blood pressure and can put you at greater risk for developing conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. While it may be difficult, sleep deprivation is preventable. However, if you have good sleep hygiene and are cognizant of your sleep schedule and still struggle with getting between seven and nine hours of sleep per night, it may be worthwhile to participate in a sleep study to rule out the possibility of underlying conditions such as sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome that may be affecting your quality of sleep.
