How lack of sleep can affect your health
DEPRIVING your body of sleep for a night or two may leave you feeling drugged, grumpy and lacking energy, but a consistent pattern of sleepless nights may also be detrimental to your physical health.
General laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon Dr Alfred Dawes said that sleep is one of the most underrated activities that contribute to good health.
“When you deprive your body of sleep you can develop serious medical conditions,” cautioned Dr Dawes.
Dr Dawes said that hormonal imbalance is among the most common medical conditions associated with lack of sleep, which causes the body to release more of the stress hormone cortisol. When produced in excessive quantities, cortisol could break down collagen, the protein that maintains the elasticity and smoothness in the skin.
With an increase in the stress levels in the body, a person also becomes more vulnerable to other chronic stress-associated conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, depression and diabetes.
Dr Dawes said that people become more vulnerable to diabetes since continuous loss of sleep over time causes acceleration in the body’s tolerance for glucose. If the body becomes glucose-impaired, diabetes, and in some instances cardiovascular disease, may develop.
He cautioned people with existing medical conditions such as cardiovascular conditions to capitalise on every opportunity to sleep since they are at a greater risk for developing associated medical conditions.
“For example, people with cardiovascular conditions are at an increased risk of high blood pressure,” Dr Dawes said. “People with irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease may be affected by gastrointestinal issues, ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.”
Other associated conditions include becoming depressed or overweight, and those with very weak immune systems can contract bacterial and viral infections.
Dr Dawes said apart from the cardiovascular system, the immune system is most at risk of being damaged because of sleep deprivation.
“When our bodies lack sleep, our immune system cannot effectively fight off viruses and bacteria that invade our bodies. This is the reason why people who lack sleep often become sick and struggle to recover from other illnesses,” he added.
He also said without sleep the body is unable to produce cells and other antibodies to fight infections, making the body vulnerable to many different kinds of infectious diseases.
Lack of sleep will also impact performance at work.
“When you are sleep-deprived, your productivity at work is decreased and it can affect the way in which you do your job,” Dr Dawes explained.
Lethargy, inability to focus, and impairment of cognitive skills are issues which could diminish the value of output.
Dr Dawes recommends that people take every chance they get to sleep. Seek medical assistance for issues like insomnia.
