The Lack of Sleep Has Similar Effects to Hangovers

You have heard of the importance of a good night's sleep, of the need to sleep 6–8 hours a night to have the necessary rest after a day's work, of the lunch that some take as a well-deserved break; you may not know, however, what effect sleepless nights can have on your body.

According to the latest studies, sleep deprivation can have effects similar to those of alcohol consumption.

Restful sleep reduces the risk of cancer, prevents the onset of chronic diseases, improves heart health, and helps us have a happier life. Lack of sleep, on the other hand, can have very similar effects to excessive alcohol consumption.

According to studies by British researchers, sleep-deprived people can end up losing up to a full night's sleep in a week.

After 17 hours of sleep, the alertness and concentration are similar to those of people who have a concentration of 0.05% blood alcohol.

After 24 hours of sleep, the concentration becomes 0.1%. You are not able to coordinate your movements, your power of concentration decreases, and all this can have severe consequences.

Therefore, if you know that you have too many hours of sleep, do not be fooled by the fact that you can still stand and do not engage in courageous actions.

And when you have a lot of work, try to schedule small breaks between two solved problems. It is better to fall asleep so that you can focus later on what you have to do than to pull on yourself until the body shows signs of not resisting.

Signs of fatigue that you should be aware of:

• It is difficult for you to concentrate, blink often and feel your eyelids heavy

• You dream with your eyes open and you think of things different from what you have to do

• Headphones often and rub your eyes

• It's hard for you to keep your head straight

• You feel agitated and have a pronounced nervousness

If you ticked all of the above, there is no point in forcing yourself. Whatever exam or session follows, it will be easier for you to prepare them the next day, in the first hour, after a few hours of sleep.

What other effects does lack or deprivation of sleep have on you

Lack of sleep can adversely affect a wide range of systems in your body.

Thus, sleep deprivation can have the following effects:

• Not getting enough sleep does not let your body to strengthening its immune system and producing more cytokines to fight infections. This may mean that a person may take longer to recover from an illness or may be at increased risk for chronic illness.

• Sleep deprivation can also lead to developing new respiratory or advanced respiratory diseases.

• Sleep helps the heart's blood vessels to heal and rebuild, as do the processes that keep blood pressure and blood glucose levels stable, and in addition, sleep also influences inflammation control. If you do not get enough sleep, you increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.

• Insufficient sleep can affect the production of hormones, including growth hormone and testosterone, in men.

What are the symptoms of lack/deprivation of sleep

The main symptom of lack of sleep is the excessive feeling of drowsiness during the day, but there are other things you should consider:

• cascading;

• you have moods;

• fatigue;

• irascibility;

• depression;

• difficulty learning new notions;

• forgetfulness;

• inability to concentrate or a "dizzy" brain;

• lack of motivation;

• clumsiness;

• increased appetite and increased carbohydrate cravings;

• Reduced sexual appetite.

How many hours of restful sleep should we have, depending on age?

The recommendations of the specialists regarding the duration of sleep for the age groups are:

• newborns (0 to 3 months): between 14–17 hours of sleep each day;

• babies (4–11 months): between 12 and 15 hours of sleep;

• small children (1–2 years): between 11 and 14 hours of sleep;

• preschoolers (3–5 years): between 10 and 13 hours;

• school-age children (6–13 years): 9–11 hours of sleep;

• adolescents (14–17 years old): between 8 and 10 hours of sleep;

• adults (18–64 years old): between 7 and 9 hours;

• the elderly (people over 65): between 7 and 8 hours.

In some cases, lack of sleep is a voluntary thing, for example, teenagers or young adults want to go to bed at a very early age. In addition to the causes of sleep deprivation that include shift work, family obligations, or demanding jobs, there are also medical causes.

Thus, a person may have medical problems such as depression, sleep apnea syndrome, hormonal imbalances, and other chronic diseases that can cause sleep deprivation.