Have you ever experienced a poor night’s sleep? If you’re like many other people, you have and you know the consequences. Moodiness. Crankiness. Feeling tired and like you’re just not yourself. While none of those things are pleasant, they’re normally temporary and only last as long as it takes you to get some quality sleep.
If you sleep poorly often enough and fail to get the recommended 7 – 9 hours of sleep every night, it can have some very serious, lasting consequences that are significantly more dire than feeling sluggish or cranky. Keep reading to learn about some of the effects that prolonged sleep deprivation can have.
Increased Risk of Accidents
If you want to understand how sleep deprivation may increase your chances of being involved in an accident, you simply have to research some of the most significant disasters that have taken place in recent years. Three Mile Island, the Exxon Valdez and Chernobyl have all made headlines for disastrous accidents that were due, in part, to sleep deprivation.
You can also take a look at some statistics about driving to understand how sleep deprivation can increase the chances that you’ll be involved in an accident. Drowsiness can slow a driver’s reaction time as much as being drunk. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsy driving is a factor in as many as 100,000 automobile accidents every year in the United States alone.
You don’t just need to worry about sleep deprivation putting you at greater risk on the road. It’s also a factor in work-related accidents. Research shows that a lack of sleep can cause a greater number of accidents at work.
Reduced Interest in Sex
If you’ve lost interest in sex, sleep deprivation may be to blame. People who have trouble sleeping or suffer from low-quality sleep often have lower libidos and a reduced interest in sex.
Health Problems
Missing out on a good night’s sleep every once in a while is one thing. Missing out on restorative sleep regularly is quite another. If you suffer from sleep deprivation for an extended period of time, it increases the chances that you may experience the following health problems:
- Heart Disease
- Irregular Heartbeat
- High Blood Pressure
- Stroke
- Diabetes
Depression
If you suffer from sleep deprivation for too long, it can make the symptoms of depression worsen. One study showed that individuals who suffered from insomnia, which is the most common sleep disorder, were 500 percent more likely to suffer from depression compared to people who don’t have insomnia.
Premature Aging
You can often recognize someone who’s missed a few nights of sleep by their puffy eyes and ashen skin. While those signs typically only last until the person gets some restorative sleep, sleep deprivation that continues for a long time can cause your skin to age prematurely. More specifically, lasting sleep deprivation can cause your skin to look dull, dark circles to appear under your eyes and fine lines to develop on your skin.
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