Think you should skip the advised 7-9 hours of sleep every night? This list should convince you to think again.
Without Sleep:
You Crave Junk Food. Not enough sleep can interrupt with the hormones that regulate your appetite and make you want to consume foods that are high in fat and carbohydrates. A study showed that not getting enough sleep for more than two nights, the body produces more of the hunger-inducing hormone ghrelin, than the appetite suppressing hormone leptin. This can lead to massive weight gain
You Attract More Germs. Those who get less than 7 hours of sleep a night are about 3 times more likely to get sick. More research resulted in finding that sleep-deprived men do not produce the normal immune response after getting flu shots.
Metabolizing Sugar Becomes Harder. With just six days of limited sleep, the body develops a resistance to insulin, the hormone used to transport glucose throughout the body. In one study, volunteers who slept less than six hours a night and claimed to be natural short sleepers could not metabolize sugar correctly. Type 2 diabetes could be the end result of this issue.
The Stress Will Never End. A study conducted by the University of Chicago found that the stress hormone cortisol, spiked in the afternoon and evening for people who got less than the needed amount of sleep. The heart rate, blood pressure, and blood glucose rose to higher levels and increased the chance of hypertension, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. The cortisol spike also comes at the most inopportune times, when your body should be getting more relaxed for the day and preparing for sleep.
Bad Moods and a Groggy Brain Are Frequent. After a bad night of sleep, your reaction time decreases, making some actions such as driving, even more dangerous than before. You can also become less happy and raise your chances of becoming depressed.
You Look Much Older. When lacking sleep the increased cortisol levels may result in slow production of collagen and create more wrinkles. Cell turnover is eight times faster at night and softens the skin.
You feel Achy. Back problems or arthritis already can make sleeping uncomfortable. Not getting enough sleep can intensify it and create a terrible repeating cycle. Dr. Michael Smith of the John Hopkins Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program awoke 20 young, healthy students for 20 minutes every hour during an 8 hour sleep period. The participants had a lower pain tolerance and developed more pain in a lab test that exposed them to a cold stimulus.
You Have a High Cancer Risk. The John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health concluded that not getting enough sleep could cancel out the effectiveness of exercise in preventing cancer. Researchers studied 6,000 women who all attended the gym regularly. Those who got less than 7 hours of sleep had a 50% greater chance of developing cancer.
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