Does lack of sleep lead to reduction. Lack of sleep - effects on the body, consequences

Spare yourself for your own sake. Spare your ears, spare your eyes, spare your thoughts. What did you hear after midnight that you would consider more valuable than your own sleep? Coco Chanel

We do not always sleep as much as we want - many are faced with such a phenomenon as lack of sleep. It can arise either by our own grace or as a result of external factors.

Sometimes our weaknesses interfere with full sleep: for example, attraction to nightclubs and the Internet. Sometimes - objective circumstances: preparation for exams, shift work, a restless baby. In some cases, a sleep-deprived individual is generally a victim: a lack of sleep is associated with insomnia. But no matter what the reasons for lack of sleep in a person, it harms him very much.

Are you constantly sleep deprived? So know this: your body suffers, it feels bad, and leaving the problem without a solution, you spoil the future for it and at the same time for yourself. What threatens lack of sleep - in this article.

Sleep deprivation symptoms

A man is adorned with modesty, a man is painted with scars ... Lack of sleep is clearly not one of the factors that will make you more attractive in the eyes of others and your own - except that they will cause pity.

Collective image of a person suffering from sleep deprivation symptoms:

This condition is very unpleasant and even painful. Signs of sleep deprivation are similar to those of a recent flu.

Feeling the approach of the flu, any person will immediately call a doctor and stay at home instead of going somewhere. But when these symptoms occur with lack of sleep, most treat them as normal. Waking up, people with effort overcome the unthinkable attraction of a warm pillow and get up. Then they try to quickly eliminate the consequences of lack of sleep, remove the shadows under the eyes, pour a portion into themselves, and go to work or study in a depressed mood ...

Sometimes lack of sleep is a rare event in life, but what a huge number of people daily put up with its presence! Fatigue, lack of sleep accompany them for weeks, months, years in a row - and they do not try to change anything in their lives.

You can’t die from lack of sleep – at least not if you don’t deprive yourself of sleep completely. But if you long time sleep enough, think about what you face with lack of sleep in the future ...

Consequences of sleep deprivation: immediate and distant

Communication problems

This is the first thing that lack of sleep leads to. One night without sleep will not cause monstrous harm to health, but even a short lack of sleep spoils the mood, kills the desire to communicate, destroys cheerfulness and a sense of humor. A person is increasingly seized by the desire to isolate himself from society (preferably in his own bedroom) and nullify all types of activity.

Constant lack of sleep makes anyone detached, apathetic and withdrawn. As a result, a person may find that his friends have stopped calling him, that he has not been invited to meetings, dates and birthdays for a long time ... And it's all to blame - lack of sleep!

Psychological problems, depression

Sometimes lack of sleep is the cause of psychological problems. Sleep is a complex process that occurs under the influence of special hormones and in itself affects the human hormonal background. If it is not enough, these mechanisms are violated. Very noticeable changes occur with the processes of formation and use of serotonin - the hormone of happiness, joy and tranquility.

A person who sleeps very little ceases to sensibly assess reality. He perceives it in gloomy tones, ignores pleasant events, stops making plans for the future, because "he realizes the futility of all efforts." Frequent symptoms chronic sleep deprivation is that a person becomes gloomy and paranoid, begins to torment others with his pessimism, or even becomes depressed.

Among people suffering from insomnia, constant sleep deprivation and fatigue, there are several times more suicides! Worth considering...

Career problems

Every day, an army of zombies with their eyes closed from lack of sleep goes to work. What are they thinking about? Until 10-11 in the morning, they often cannot think at all: they gather their strength, try to overcome the symptoms of lack of sleep, and are drawn into the work process. Then, finally, they rush into the embrasure of everyday affairs. But after dinner, fatigue intensifies, and the remaining 2-3 hours pass in constant looking at the clock and hoping for a speedy return home.

Would an employee who suffers from drowsiness do something beyond their normal duties? He can hardly cope with the necessary things. Will he think about promotion, career growth, self-development and self-improvement? No - a sad and predictable train of thought will naturally lead him home, closer to bed and long-awaited peace.

The sad and inevitable consequence of lack of sleep is that it subdues. A person becomes unsociable, ceases to believe in himself, does not try and does not take risks. He is not in the mood to fight for success, does not want changes and the worries associated with them, as a result of which he often refuses even tempting opportunities that themselves come into his hands. People who are desperately sleep deprived are rarely successful in their careers. And sometimes they even lose their jobs. Frequent consequences lack of sleep - absent-mindedness, inattention, mistakes - are unlikely to please even the most loyal boss.

In 2008, on board a plane flying from Gogolulu to Hilo, both pilots fell asleep due to fatigue and lack of sleep during the flight. The plane flew an extra 48 kilometers, after which the pilots woke up and safely landed the plane. No harm done. But do you think these people were able to keep their jobs?

Problems with appearance, premature aging, deterioration in physical fitness

The above troubles are not all that lack of sleep leads to. Women should be especially concerned about the fact that lack of sleep causes deterioration in appearance. Light shadows under the eyes turn into "bruises", the face becomes somewhat swollen (especially in the area of ​​​​the eyes and superciliary arches), takes on a tired, "washed" look. And no eye drops, no tone cream and masking gels cannot permanently eliminate this!

Men will not like the fact that regular lack of sleep significantly worsens physical form. First, feeling tired and lethargic after unproductive sleep discourages the desire to actively engage in sports. Secondly, lack of sleep reduces the body's production of the hormone somatostatin, which is responsible for muscle growth.

Also, lack of sleep causes the accumulation of excess weight and provokes obesity. In the article "" a whole section is devoted to this.

Representatives of both sexes with chronic lack of sleep age faster. Due to hormonal disorders, the formation of collagen and elastin is disrupted - the fibers that form the frame of the skin, are responsible for its elasticity and protect against the appearance of wrinkles. A person who sleeps less than expected often looks 5-7-10 years older than someone who practices normal healthy sleep.

Take a look at these photos: they were taken 3 years apart. It is the host of the early morning newscast in Japan. He came to work at 2-3 o'clock in the morning, slept little, and this did not go unnoticed for him ...

Health problems

Due to changes in the body that accompany constant lack of sleep, a person may experience the following health problems:

• impotence, decreased libido
• Immune suppression, increased overall morbidity
• Increased risk and accelerated development of cardiovascular diseases (atherosclerosis, ischemic disease heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke)
• Increased likelihood of hormone-dependent cancer (breast cancer in women, prostate cancer in men).

The consequences of sleep deprivation are too annoying and serious to endure or risk them. How unique opportunities, dates, hours of communication, gushing ideas, friendships lost due to lack of sleep! Stop ruining your life. Think about how you can ensure you get enough sleep.

And finally - a slightly paraphrased aphorism from the classic: “What the best remedy from lack of sleep? Sleep!"

How many hours of sleep does an average person need to really rest? The number of hours varies from 6 to 8 per day - this time should be quite enough for a person to be able to work further, without harm to his health. But if you constantly lack sleep, this is fraught with serious consequences, ranging from mild neurosis and the risk of extra centimeters at the waist, and ending with more serious problems - heart disease and an increased risk of developing diabetes.

Unpleasant symptoms may appear after the first night of lack of sleep. What else threatens bad dream? The Huffington Post decided to look into this in more detail.

Some brilliant people hardly needed sleep, and they did not suffer without it. For example, Leonardo da Vinci needed only 1.5-2 hours of sleep a day, Nikola Tesla - 2-3 hours, Napoleon Bonaparte slept at intervals of about 4 hours in total. You can arbitrarily classify yourself as a genius and believe that if you sleep 4 hours a day, you will have time to do much more, but your body may not agree with you, and after several days of torment it will begin to sabotage your work, if you want it, or not.

infographics

What happens to the body after one day of lack of sleep

You start to overeat. So, if you've had little or no sleep for at least one night, you feel hungrier than after a standard sleep. Studies have shown that lack of sleep provokes appetite, as well as the choice of more high-calorie, high-carbohydrate, and not quite healthy foods.

Attention worsens. Due to drowsiness, your alertness and reaction deteriorates, and this, in turn, can lead to accidents on the road or at work (if you work with your hands or are a doctor or driver, which is even worse). If you sleep 6 hours or less, you are three times more likely to have an accident on the road.

Appearance deteriorates. Bruising under the eyes after a bad dream is not the best decoration. Sleep is good not only for your brain, but also for your appearance. A small study in the journal SLEEP, published last year, found that people who sleep less seem less attractive to people. And studies in Sweden have also shown a link between rapid skin aging and lack of adequate sleep.

The risk of catching colds increases. Good sleep is one of the building blocks of the immune system. A study conducted at Carnegie Mellon University found that getting less than 7 hours of sleep per day triples your risk of getting sick. Moreover, experts at the Mayo Clinic explain that during sleep, special proteins are produced in the body - cytokines. Some of them help support sound sleep, and some need to be increased to protect the body when you have an infection or inflammation, or when you are stressed. As a result of sleep deprivation, the production of these protective cytokines decreases and you stay sick for longer.

You run the risk of getting microdamage to the brain. A recent small study conducted with fifteen men and published in the same journal SLEEP showed that even after one night of sleep deprivation, the brain loses some of its tissue. This can be detected by measuring the level of two molecules in the blood, an increase in which usually signals that the brain has been damaged.

Of course, this is just a small study done with fifteen men - not that big of a sample. But how can you be sure that this will not affect you?

You become more emotional. And not for the better. According to a 2007 study from Harvard and Berkeley Medical Schools, if you don't get enough sleep, the emotional areas of the brain become more than 60% reactive, meaning you become more emotional, irritable, and explosive. The fact is that without enough sleep, our brain switches to more primitive forms of activity and is not able to normally manage emotions.

You may experience problems with memory and concentration. Problems with attentiveness are added to problems with memory and concentration. It becomes difficult for you to concentrate on completing tasks, and your memory worsens, as sleep is involved in the process of memory consolidation. So, if you don't sleep much, remembering new material will be more and more difficult for you (depending on the neglect of your situation).

What happens to your body if you don't get enough sleep in the long run

Let's say you have an exam or an urgent project and you just need to cut your sleep to the bare minimum in order to get everything done. This is acceptable in short periods, just try not to get behind the wheel and warn everyone in advance that you are very tired and you may react a little inappropriately, emotionally. After passing an exam or finishing a project, you will rest, get enough sleep and get back in shape again.

But if your job is causing your standard sleep time of 7-8 hours to drop to 4-5, you need to seriously think about changing either the approach to work or the work itself, since the consequences of a constant lack of sleep are much more unfortunate, than simple nervousness or bruising under the eyes. The longer you maintain such an unhealthy regimen, the higher the price your body will pay for it.

The risk of getting a stroke increases. Research published in the journal SLEEP in 2012 showed that sleep deprivation (less than 6 hours of sleep) for older people increases the risk of stroke by 4 times.

The risk of becoming obese increases. Simply overeating due to not getting enough sleep for a day or two is nothing compared to what can happen to you if constant sleep deprivation becomes your standard routine. As discussed in the previous section, sleep deprivation causes an increase in appetite and, of course, leads to constant nighttime snacking. All this together is transformed into extra pounds.

Increases the chance of certain types of cancer. Of course, it will not appear simply because you are not sleeping enough. But poor sleep can trigger the appearance of precancerous lesions. So, as a result of a study conducted among 1240 participants (a colonoscopy was performed), those who slept less than 6 hours a day had a 50% increased risk of colorectal adenoma, which over time can turn into a malignant tumor.

Increased chance of developing diabetes. A 2013 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that too little (and too much!) sleep was associated with an increased risk of many chronic diseases including diabetes mellitus. This is due to the fact that lack of sleep, on the one hand, leads to the risk of obesity, and on the other hand, insulin sensitivity decreases.

The risk of heart disease increases. Harvard Health Publications reports that chronic sleep deprivation is associated with increased blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart failure and myocardial infarction. Research conducted in 2011 at the Warwick Medical School found that if you sleep less than 6 hours a night and sleep is disturbed, you get a "bonus" in the form of a 48% increase in the likelihood of dying from heart disease and 15% from stroke. Staying up late or into the morning for long periods is a ticking time bomb!

The number of spermatozoa decreases. This paragraph applies to those who still want to know the happiness of fatherhood, but are postponing for the time being, as they are busy accumulating an inheritance. In 2013, a study was conducted in Denmark among 953 young men, during which it turned out that in guys with sleep disorders, the concentration of spermatozoa in the semen is 29% lower than in those who sleep the standard 7-8 hours a day.

The risk of premature death increases. Studies that evaluated 1,741 men and women over 10-14 years showed that men who slept less than 6 hours a night increased their chances of dying prematurely.

All of this was data obtained during research. But, as we know, in our controversial world, research data can be completely opposite. Today we can read that new magic pills will save us from all diseases, and tomorrow an article may be published that other studies have shown completely opposite results.

You may or may not believe in the long-term prospects of permanent sleep deprivation, but you cannot deny the fact that if you do not get enough sleep, you become irritable and inattentive, have trouble remembering information, and you are even afraid to look in the mirror. Therefore, let's spare ourselves and sleep at least 6 hours a day for ourselves, our beloved, at least in the short term.

According to statistics, a person spends a third of his life in a dream. However, this is not at all a reason to consider a night's rest as a luxury and idleness. Good sleep is not a whim, but the most important component healthy lifestyle life, because our body and brain are vital for regular recovery.

The benefits of a night's rest lie in the ability to replenish energy reserves, normalize the functioning of the nervous system and strengthen the immune system, and in this regard, sleep is a powerful prevention of the most various diseases. During sleep, a person recovers more quickly from illnesses, wounds and burns heal faster, and the brain begins to think better analytically, finding answers to those tasks that could not be solved during the day.

Unfortunately, modern man does not get enough sleep. In conditions of constant employment, when all thoughts are aimed at achieving results and trying to get the most out of the available time, a person takes away the time he lacks from sleep, accustoming himself to sleep 4-5 hours a day. And such a rhythm of life seems to him quite normal. But few people realize that in the rhythm of daily lack of sleep, the body works with all its might, which can lead to the development of many serious illnesses. Moreover, apart from chronic lack of sleep as a problem, a person gets used to dealing with increased fatigue and daytime sleep with a cup of coffee or strong tea, without even thinking about going to the doctor and not trying to figure out the causes of the existing ailment.

If this situation drags on for months and years, lack of sleep becomes a huge problem for a person, leading to the development of serious diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, and even cancerous tumors. To see this, take a look at the consequences that this condition leads to.

10 terrible consequences of chronic sleep deprivation

1. Decreased memory

During sleep, the brain processes and systematizes the information received during the day, putting it into short-term memory. Moreover, depending on the phase of sleep, different processes of information processing take place, translating it into memories. If a person does not get enough sleep, these processes are disrupted, as a result of which he has problems with memory.

2. Violation of concentration and slow reaction

Each of us felt the relationship between memory and sleep. It is incredibly difficult for a sleepy person to analyze the necessary information, as he cannot concentrate and concentrate on the question. And this already speaks of a violation of concentration, without which a person often makes mistakes and is unable to solve even simple logical problems. But what is even more dangerous, chronic sleep deprivation significantly slows down the body's reaction. And this leads to an increase in emergencies on the roads and accidents at work. Moreover, as statistics show, accidents due to lack of sleep are most common for people under 25 years of age, who consider sleeping 5 hours a day the norm.

3. Impaired vision with constant lack of sleep

Neglecting full sleep, a person experiences constant overstrain, which invariably affects vision. This conclusion was reached by Japanese scientists who conducted a series of experiments and found that regular sleep deprivation can cause ischemic optic neuropathy. It's heavy vascular disease disrupts nutrition ophthalmic nerve, as a result of which a person develops glaucoma, which can subsequently cause total loss vision. Thus, having noticed the first signs of visual impairment, first of all normalize sleep in order to prevent deterioration of the condition.

4. Mood depression

With constant lack of sleep, the nervous system is seriously depleted, and therefore it is not surprising that a person who has not had enough sleep is often irritated and aggressive. This problem is especially relevant for adolescents, whose psyche is extremely vulnerable during puberty. When there is a lack of sleep in the brain of young people, notable changes. In the areas responsible for positive thinking, activity decreases, while in areas regulating negative associations, on the contrary, it increases. All this leads to pessimism and an emotionally oppressed state, from which it is not far from depression and suicidal thoughts. By the way, statistics confirm that people with chronic sleep deprivation mental disorders observed 4 times more often.

5. Overweight

Many will be surprised, but overweight and obesity are associated with lack of sleep. It would seem that the opposite is true - if we sleep less, then we move more and burn fat faster. In fact, in the absence of proper sleep in the body, the balance of hormones is disturbed, in particular, the synthesis of ghrelin, the so-called "hunger hormone", increases. With its accumulation in the body, a person experiences a constant feeling of hunger, which is not at all easy to eliminate. When an excess of the hormone cortisol is added to an excess of ghrelin, a person begins to “seize” his problems and invariably gain weight. If you do not understand the causes of this condition in a timely manner, you can get obesity, which will jeopardize the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, and significantly increase the risk of diabetes.

6. Decreased libido

This information should be of interest to sexually active men and women. It turns out that chronic lack of sleep, accompanied by a lack of energy and overstrain, has the most negative effect on libido. Back in 2002, French doctors noted that sleep less than 6 hours a day, as well as interrupted sleep in people suffering from sleep apnea, leads to a decrease in blood testosterone levels, which is manifested by a gradually weakening sexual desire.

7. Premature aging

You can spend fabulous sums on cosmetics and procedures to prevent early aging, but without proper sleep, all attempts to prolong youth are simply useless. With a lack of rest, the body experiences chronic stress, increasing the synthesis of cortisol in the body. This hormone provokes an increase in the secretion of sebum, which causes early skin aging. Based on this, remember that if you sleep 8 hours a day, the level of cortisol decreases and returns to normal, giving the cells of the epidermis time to regenerate. Scientists also say that lack of sleep affects the aging of the body. According to studies, signs of aging in women aged 35-50 who sleep no more than 5 hours a day appear 2 times faster.

8. Increasing the number of diseases

A person who sleeps no more than 5 hours a day greatly weakens his immunity. Scientists from the University of Massachusetts have found that with a lack of nighttime rest in the body, the number of cytokines, protein compounds responsible for the strength of immunity, is sharply reduced. Thus, if we regularly lack sleep, our body becomes powerless against disease-causing agents and is exposed to infectious diseases. However, this is not the worst. To date, it has been proven that chronic deficiency sleep 7 times more likely to develop arterial hypertension and tachycardia, 5 times - heart failure, heart attack and stroke, and 3 times - diabetes. All this suggests that chronic sleep deprivation is a “silent killer” that destroys our body from the inside!

9. The occurrence of cancerous tumors

What could be even more dangerous? It turns out that chronic lack of sleep can lead to the development of cancer. The point is again in hormones, in particular, in the hormone melatonin, the production of which is disrupted with insufficient night rest. But this substance has antioxidant properties, due to which it suppresses the occurrence malignant tumors in the body. Thus, lack of sleep deprives us of important protection, and increases the likelihood of cancer.

10. Reduced life expectancy

Finally, after lengthy studies, scientists came to the conclusion that sleeping less than 7 hours a day reduces life expectancy by almost 10 years, while increasing mortality from all causes by 2 times! And if, in parallel with chronic lack of sleep, you constantly overeat, smoke and be exposed to numerous stresses, the result will turn out to be disastrous.

Obviously, chronic sleep deprivation is a serious problem that, without correcting the rest and sleep regimen, can cause irreparable damage to both physical and mental health. What can be done to prevent this?

How to normalize sleep

Here are a few simple tips that will help solve the problem of lack of sleep.

1. Be aware of the detrimental effects of lack of sleep, because otherwise all the other tips simply will not work.

2. Choose a suitable bedtime that will allow you to spend at least 7 hours in bed a night, and strictly adhere to this guideline.

3. At lunchtime or when you return home after work, try to avoid long naps (no more than 30 minutes), as in this case you simply won’t be able to fall asleep at the appointed time.

4. Try not to overeat before going to bed, because in this case you risk tossing and turning in bed for a long time, trying to fall asleep.

5. Avoid coffee, strong tea and other tonic drinks that will interfere with relaxation and sleep. If it is difficult to drink such drinks, then it is better to drink them in the morning.

6. In last hours Before going to bed, try to avoid excessive physical activity, which will also interfere with falling asleep.

7. Make sure that your bedroom has a good night's sleep, that it has sound insulation, heavy curtains to create twilight, no TV, computer and other items that interfere with rest. The temperature in the bedroom should be no more than 20 degrees, ideally from 16 to 19.

8. Provide fresh air access to the sleeping area, for this it is necessary to ventilate the bedroom for at least 15 minutes. It's better to sleep with the window open.

9. A walk in the evening before going to bed promotes relaxation and brings calm, saturates the body with oxygen, which also contributes to falling asleep faster and sounder sleep. Classes in the gym can not replace an evening walk.

10. Before going to bed, take a warm bath, preferably with soothing herbs, and then drink a cup of tea with chamomile or mint, because these herbs are great to relax and soothe, preparing the body for sleep.
Have a nice dream!

Sleep is the only thing the Gods send for free.
ancient greek proverb

If sleep is health, then what is it? lack of sleep? At a minimum, this is a provocation of the body and a test of its "strength". Maybe you should not "experiment"?

Sleep and lack of sleep

The life of each of us is very individual, including in relation to sleep. There are, for example, well-known examples of celebrities: Victor Hugo and Winston Churchill slept no more than 5 hours a night, but Albert Einstein needed more than 10 hours of sleep every night. Experts say that most people need a regular dream at 7-8 hours, but they also emphasize that there is a small percentage of people (about 5%) whose body requires a longer sleep - at least 9-10 hours.

During life, sleep time also undergoes changes. As a rule, after birth, the baby sleeps 16-18 hours a day, at 3-5 years old the child needs 10-12 hours of sleep, at 10 years old - about 10 hours, when growing up (about 16 years old) - already 7-8 hours enough. People of advanced age often feel that they reduce the "dose" of sleep to 6-7 hours. According to psychologists, this is due not only to changes in the brain tissue, but also to a decrease in emotional contacts, and therefore a decrease in the need for rest in solitude after them.

Sleep is a unique tool for restoring the physical and mental strength of the body. The negative impact can be found not only with a reduction in sleep hours, but also with their improper observance. The recovery body has its own nightly work schedule that you need to prepare for (i.e., set bedtimes) to provide it with full conditions. For example, according to experts, the maximum production of melatonin (it protects us from premature aging, stress, strengthens the body to resist colds and cancer) falls on the time from 0.00 to 4.00 in the morning. And this is not the only necessary period. By shifting the schedule from the "dark" period of the day, it is impossible to achieve the same recovery effect for the body.

Intentional (a person consciously chooses to increase his waking hours or work on night shifts);

Unintentional (insomnia as a result of stress, medications, diseases, first time motherhood, etc.).

The effect of sleep deprivation on the body

Among the consequences of lack of sleep, experts note general fatigue, impaired mental activity (decrease in the ability to concentrate), a decrease in visual activity and reactions in general. For example, there is evidence that halving your sleep period can reduce your reaction rate by 45%. Prolonged sleep deprivation may cause hallucinations, memory lapses, detachment from reality.

It is believed that even having less than 6 hours of sleep over several days will result in a degree of mental impairment equal to that which can occur after 2 nights of absolute wakefulness.

Some experts believe that there are gender differences in the impact of lack of sleep on the body. For example, scientists from North Carolina have come to the conclusion that women are subject to greater negative consequences from lack of sleep than men. Among the terrible consequences, they singled out the occurrence of depression, psychological and cardiovascular diseases. Particular attention was focused on the harmful effects of interrupted sleep. According to them, it affects the increase in the level of the fibrinogen protein, which is responsible for blood clotting, which, if not functioning properly, can lead to the development of diabetes.

It is especially worth paying attention to women and the fact that lack of sleep and slim figure absolutely incompatible. The mechanism of the relationship is very simple: without getting the proper rest and energy, the body will begin to gain a lack of energy replenishment through food, and here you can’t do without overeating and increasing calorie intake. Try to track your appetite after a full sleep and after a night with a "cut down" rest.

Hypertension is another possible result of sleep deprivation. Scientists at the University of Chicago conducted a study, the results of which found that reducing sleep by 1 hour over 5 years increases the likelihood of hypertension by 37%.

Physicians warn that lack of sleep in children (often due to the fault of parents) can have the same consequences as in adults: depression, obesity, hypertension, etc.

Psychologists warn that with too long a period of lack of sleep, in addition to bodily diseases, serious mental illnesses may develop, which will be the result of insufficient inhibition processes, which is sleep for the brain.

The Road to Enough Sleep

Before moving on to listing the "helpers" of sufficient sleep, it is necessary to understand the sleep cycle, its phases.
Experts distinguish 5 stages of sleep:

The first stage is the drowsiness stage with incoherent visual images, spontaneous muscle contractions, feeling of falling, etc.

The second stage is characterized by a slight decrease in body temperature, the alignment of breathing, the disappearance of visual images. Scientists emphasize that the first and second stages are characterized by falling asleep of consciousness, while the subconscious mind is still awake (with a seething of emotions in people with anxiety). nervous system). Deeper sleep occurs in the following periods.

The third and fourth stages - they are called the stages of restorative sleep, relaxing; deep absorption makes it difficult to awaken at these stages, disorientation appears; in the negative accompanying these stages, children's enuresis is possible)

The stage of paradoxical sleep (an active stage for our body with the occurrence of vivid dreams, increased pressure, heat transfer; some scientists refer to this phase the possibility of integrating information).

According to the results of studies posted in the book of the psychotherapist A. Kurpatov "10 recipes good night", 55% of sleep falls on stages 1 and 2, 20% belongs to the stage of paradoxical sleep, and only 25% is allocated to the stages that give us sleep - the third and fourth.

Experts note that for a complete feeling of comfort, it is necessary for the body to observe the structure of sleep (especially the recovery phases) and their duration (so that the duration of the recovery phases does not decrease).

Create comfortable conditions for sleep - ventilate the room a little, dim the lights and other appliances, it is possible to use special aromatic products or aroma pads with a detailed study of their effects;

If possible, do not use the bed during the day for purposes other than sleep and intimate life;

When not falling asleep for a long time, get out of bed and engage in quiet activities;

Strive never to delay falling asleep until 0.00, it is advised to go to bed no later than 22.00-23.00.

Lack of sleep, sleep disturbance - these are ruined days and health. Take care of yourself, the most important foundations of the rhythm of life, and your opportunities will only increase from this. Have a good and pleasant sleep!

Natalia Mazhirina
Center "ABC for parents"

Article content

Full sleep implies the following regimen: you go to bed at 9-10 pm, instantly fall asleep and sleep without interruptions and awakenings for 9 hours. However, people prefer to break this regime: they go to bed long after midnight, stay up at night playing games, watching TV or work, abusing caffeine, alcohol and heavy meals, especially before bedtime. As a result, sleep remains 4-5 hours a day.

Sleep deprivation symptoms

There is a lack of sleep. Disturbances immediately appear in the body - skin diseases, problems with attentiveness and memory, weak immunity. Let's take a look at what other dangers of sleep deprivation are and how to prevent it.

Its symptoms include:

• circles under the eyes;
• pallor of the skin;
• drowsiness, microsleeps (short-term disconnections from reality);
• reddened tired eyes;
• headache, dizziness;
• nausea;
• lack of concentration, productivity;
• irritability, anxiety;
• body temperature rises;
• level blood pressure increases.

What causes chronic sleep deprivation? This condition negatively affects health, especially for women. However, lack of sleep worsens the health of men, and in this case, it is more difficult to diagnose, which makes treatment more difficult.

What causes lack of sleep in men? Given pathological condition impairs fitness and fitness. because of constant feeling there is no fatigue of strength and desire to train in the gym. In addition, the lack of sleep reduces the production of a special hormone in the body - somatostatin. It is responsible for the growth and increase in muscle mass.

Lack of sleep brings a lot of aesthetic problems for women in the form of bruises and circles under the eyes.

What causes lack of sleep in women? One of the most common factors that upset the female gender is the deterioration in appearance. Edema occurs, clear bruises form under the eyes, the face itself becomes “rumpled”, takes on a tired look. This cannot be eliminated with concealers or eye drops.

So, we briefly reviewed the dangers of lack of sleep. If you do not sleep enough, you need to get enough sleep as quickly as possible, subsequently adhering to the correct daily routine.

Consequences of lack of sleep

Difficulties in communication

Even if you didn’t sleep well for just one night, the next morning you will notice that the desire to communicate with others has disappeared along with a sense of humor and a positive attitude. The consequences of lack of sleep, if proper rest has been absent for a long time, are apathy, isolation, detachment, a desire to leave society.

Lack of sleep: consequences of a psychological nature

Why does a person sleep little at night? The reason may lie in psychological problems when the body lacks serotonin - the hormone of happiness. The consequences of lack of sleep and insomnia are that a person loses the ability to assess reality objectively. He begins to perceive it in black, does not want to make plans for the future and achieve goals, ignores positive events.

If you sleep little, the consequences can be terrible: people who have not slept for a long time develop a tendency to suicide, which is affected by the influence of a tired body.

Especially Negative consequences brings lack of sleep for men. A sleep deprived person does not have the strength to perform their work duties in full. He hardly forces himself to finish the minimum necessary things. Career growth in such situations is not important, a man may refuse tempting offers that “go into his hands”, and in severe cases he loses his job.

Psychological effects of lack of sleep

What happens if you get very little sleep? Lack of sleep is the cause of complications in the body, pathological processes. Negative consequences can occur in any organ and system of the body - from memory and thinking to psychological and neurological disorders.

If you are wondering "What should I do if I sleep little", then you should urgently solve the problem of chronic lack of rest, until serious malfunctions and disorders occur in the body. Get enough sleep: The consequences for women and men of sleep deprivation may include memory impairment. Sound and healthy sleep directly affects the ability to remember information. If you feel that every day it becomes more and more difficult to remember something, then you need a good rest.

If you have not been able to sleep for a long time, then your ability to make decisions (even the smallest ones) deteriorates. You think for a long time about what to buy for tea, what movie to choose at the cinema, what gift to give to a relative for his birthday.

Problems come when an important decision needs to be made. If the situation is stressful, and the need to quickly decide on any issue looms over you, you risk falling into a panic or stupor.

A tired and sleepy person is unable to concentrate. It is a good rest that affects the level of concentration. If a person regularly deprives himself of proper sleep, then his productivity is significantly reduced, he is distracted many times during the performance of a task. Chronic lack of sleep can be easily identified by a sluggish gaze that is directed nowhere.

Risk of depression

Lack of sleep leads to brain damage. People who sleep little are especially susceptible depressive state. It is enough to sleep a maximum of 5 hours a day, and then the risk of getting depressed increases significantly.

There is also a possibility of severe anxiety disorders. They manifest as nightmares panic attacks and require prompt treatment.

Irritability

What causes chronic lack of sleep? Lack of sleep negatively affects psychological balance. A person who does not get enough sleep constantly feels irritability, he has negative emotions. Studies show that this can lead to increased impulsivity when the reaction to any events is too violent. The consequences at such moments do not bother anyone.

Memory losses

Chronic lack of sleep has the following manifestations, symptoms and consequences. The body with a constant lack of sleep and rest will begin to “steal” it. As a result, a person will start turning off at any time, even the most inappropriate - for example, while driving. According to statistics, 50% of drivers at least once disconnected from reality for a short time, usually continuing to move on. If you realize that during the day you fall asleep for a few seconds, then it's time to reconsider your daily routine.

Also, fainting, headaches, dizziness, hallucinations often occur. Consciousness becomes confused, there are gaps in thinking, a person often loses a sense of reality.

Clumsiness

Lack of sleep is clearly manifested in coordination. Scientists have found that people who are chronically sleep deprived behave more clumsily than those who drink a little alcohol. The state of sleep deprivation is generally similar to that which occurs after drinking alcohol.

Decreased libido, impotence

Decreased libido is a natural manifestation of lack of sleep. Chronic lack of sleep is the reason for the decrease in sexual desire. In advanced situations, it is reduced to a minimum.

For men, lack of sleep is especially dangerous. He is the cause of impotence

Physiological consequences of lack of sleep

What else does lack of sleep lead to? Chronic lack of sleep adversely affects human health and physiology.

Premature aging, reduced life expectancy

Do not disturb your sleep schedule. Scientists have proven that chronic lack of sleep leads to the risk of death at a young age. Lack of rest is harmful to health: the functioning of organs and systems is disrupted, which is especially true for the brain and heart.

visual impairment

What happens if you don't get enough sleep? If you can’t fall asleep, and as a result, there is less time left for sleep, then people who have not slept for a long time feel tension in their eyes. This can lead to ischemic neuropathy.

With this diagnosis, the nutrition of the optic nerve is disturbed, which increases the risk of glaucoma. In advanced cases, vision may disappear completely. To prevent negative consequences, it is necessary to normalize sleep and wakefulness.

Change in appearance

In the absence of proper sleep, the skin begins to age. At chronic lack of sleep the elasticity of the epidermis deteriorates significantly. Chronic fatigue leads to constant tension, which increases the production of cortisol. Its increased amount destroys the protein responsible for young and healthy look skin cover.

Other signs of deterioration in appearance are the well-known dark circles under the eyes, puffiness.

Excess weight

Many girls and guys seize stress on junk food. In large quantities, it leads to excess weight. Why does a person sleep little? Overeating worsens the quality of sleep, as the body has to spend all its energy on digesting food instead of rest and recovery. As a result, in the morning a person wakes up completely broken and absolutely not getting enough sleep.

Diabetes

Is it bad to get enough sleep? Scientists give an affirmative answer. With prolonged insomnia and the absence of a day regimen, the risk of diabetes increases by 3 times. Especially this disease law enforcement officers and doctors are affected.

Decrease in body temperature

Lack of proper rest leads to disruption of metabolic processes. This state negatively affects body temperature, which is significantly reduced. As a result, a person freezes and cannot warm up for a long time.

Weakened immunity

In order for the immune system to function properly, the body needs regular good rest. Otherwise the immune system begins to work intermittently, the person often falls ill. The reason is the lack of sleep. The tendency to infectious and oncological diseases increases significantly.

How to compensate for lack of sleep

Consider ways to compensate for lack of sleep. It is quite possible to compensate, the main thing is to pay attention to it.

Prioritize

Analyze your sleep and wake patterns. Sleep should come first, while mindlessly surfing the Internet, watching TV shows, reading books, and even some household chores come second to last.

Sleep during the day

The only way to make up for the lack of sleep is to sleep. What to do if you don't get enough sleep? Try to take a nap during the daytime. For such a holiday, you should prepare in advance: find a quiet place where no one will disturb you. Close the windows to keep the room dark. Sit comfortably half-sitting (and the best option- in a horizontal position). Get at least 20 minutes of sleep to a maximum of an hour and a half. You should not rest anymore, otherwise insomnia awaits you at night.

The best option for daytime sleep is after lunch until 16.00. A full daytime sleep and a nap after dinner have a fundamental difference: with the help of the first one, you can restore vigor and really compensate for the lack of sleep, while naps deprive you of concentration and make you more sleepy and tired. If you didn’t get enough sleep at night, and after dinner you have 30 minutes to sleep, take advantage of this time. When there is no need for deep, restful sleep, you should not sleep.

Improve your sleep quality

Poor quality of sleep consists in prolonged insomnia, frequent awakenings. Also, this quality is facilitated by the lack of oxygen in the room, an uncomfortable sofa, an anxious, stressed state.

High-quality sleep consists of the following components: a ventilated room, a comfortable and beneficial mattress for the body, complete peace of mind and relaxation.

It is better to sleep few hours, but quality sleep, than a lot, but low quality, in discomfort and with frequent breaks.

To improve the quality of sleep, try the following tips:

• go to bed at 10-11 pm;
• choose for yourself a comfortable orthopedic mattress, a comfortable pillow;
• achieve the optimal temperature in the room so that you are not too hot, stuffy or cold;
• regularly ventilate the room, especially in the summer;
• tame pets not to interfere with your rest at night;
• give up alcohol, coffee and food a few hours before bedtime;
• if you do not expect important and urgent calls, put the phone on silent mode;
• do not watch horror before going to bed, do not read the news and do not sort things out with loved ones.

If you follow all the advice, sleep longer and quit your job, which you need to get up at 4 in the morning, life will definitely sparkle with new colors.