Chronic Sleep Deprivation Can Affect Your Overall Health

October 25, 2018

You toss and turn most nights, watching the hours fade away. Did you know that chronic sleep deprivation can harm your overall health? If getting a full night’s sleep is a consistent problem for you, you’re not alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that over 30 percent of adults in the United States don’t get enough sleep.

Our physicians at Healthcare Associates of Texas understand the overall importance of sleep. We want you to know these seven ways your sleepless nights could be impacting your health and well-being.

Decreased Performance and Alertness

It’s no secret that if you don’t get much sleep, you’re probably going to feel tired the next day. High-quality sleep is needed for concentration, reflexes, judgment, and decision-making abilities.

Poor Quality of Life

A 2017 study suggests that getting six to nine hours of sleep each night is associated with a higher quality of life. People who got adequate shut-eye reported higher levels of satisfaction with life and lower symptoms of depression compared to their counterparts who were awake at night.

Increased Risk of Injury

If you get behind the wheel after little or no sleep, your chance of having an accident is significantly higher. Driving to work may not be the only problem. One study found that highly sleepy workers are 70 percent more likely to be involved in a workplace accident compared to non-sleepy workers.

High Blood Pressure

Sleep helps regulate stress hormones and keeps your nervous system healthy. Without rest, your body might have difficulty keeping your blood pressure within normal limits. If you’re sleeping less than five hours each night, you could develop high blood pressure or worsen already high numbers.

Obesity

Obesity and sleep go hand in hand. Unfortunately, once you struggle with one problem, the other is likely to follow. If you don’t sleep, your body won’t produce the right amount of hormones that regulate hunger and appetite, causing you to eat more often.

Stroke

If you struggle with insomnia, there’s a good chance you deal with other illnesses too. Lack of sleep is one risk factor of a stroke, which happens when a blood vessel is blocked and causes bleeding in the brain. Strokes can cause long-term effects that can be life-altering.

Heart Attack

You might think your body is fully resting at night. In reality, it’s working overtime to keep your vital organs healthy. If you’re not getting enough rest at night, some of your most important organs, such as your heart, won’t be healthy. This could lead to heart disease and heart attack.

If you’re struggling to get a good night’s rest, we want you to know that we can help. Give our office a call today to speak with our doctors so they can create a treatment plan to get you the sleep you need.