What Happens to Your Body When You are Sleep Deprived
Debra Murray
It is easy to stay up way past bedtime when you have a lot on your plate, but cutting back on getting a good night's rest each night is detrimental to your health. Read on to find out more about what happens to your body when you become sleep deprived.
Higher Risk for Heart Disease
When a person gets far less than eight hours of sleep at night, it has an impact on their heart and arteries, which can lead to an increase in blood pressure and heart rate that lasts well into the next day. If the sleep deprivation goes on for too long, it can lead to so much stress on the heart that it increases the risk of someone having a heart attack or stroke.
Increased Risk for Accidents
A person's cognitive abilities are impaired by sleep deprivation similar to the way that alcohol affects a person's judgment and decision making skills. This puts a person at risk for being in an accident if they operate a vehicle or use heavy machinery. This risk increases if the sleep deprivation goes on for longer than three days.
Lower Immune System
The body heals and repairs damage while a person sleeps, so if someone doesn't get enough rest, the body does not have enough time to complete this process. This lowers a person's ability to heal from injuries or fight off infections. The rate that wounds and blemishes heal can also be impacted, so it helps to use natural facial care products to help aid in the healing of your skin.
Weight Gain
The stress that sleep deprivation causes on the body increases the levels of stress hormones that someone has, especially cortisol. Cortisol is released by the body as a way of calming down the physical and mental side effects of stress. But too much of it being released all the time contributes to the accumulation of fat around the midsection. The excess fat increases the amount of estrogen that is produced, which makes a person hold onto fat more than it normally would. It is important to mention that not everyone needs an entire eight hours of sleep to feel rested in the morning. This number is only a guideline set by doctors. Some people may need more or less of it.
If someone is suffering from sleep deprivation because of joint or muscle aches and pains, then the natural body care and pain relief products from Emu Therapy may be the answer for a restful nights sleep.
