10 pm. All tucked in bed. You forgot to check whether your phone is on silent. You grab your phone. Alarm set to ringer, done! Then you remember a video you said you would watch. It’s just a few minutes, “it wouldn’t hurt,” you said. You tapped on Facebook. Eyes glued on your phone. Then a friend messages you to share something. Tap, click, send. It’s already 11:00 – a conversation that’s supposed to last for a few minutes already lasted more than it’s supposed to.
Are you one of them? The type who would go to bed at a particular time and end up staying up until the wee hours because of all the things you can’t get enough with on your phone? Read through and see how your body reacts whenever you lose sleep.
Rule of thumb: Sleep at least 7 hours
When we were younger, our parents would often tell us that we need to sleep at least eight hours to grow. Sounds doable, and it was. But for adults, this number becomes more challenging to meet – even with an hour less the target.
Now, there is a scientific explanation for these numbers. Our body adjusts when there is light and when it starts to get dark. Each system in our body operates on a schedule called the ‘circadian rhythm’. Citing as an example is the production of melatonin. When it gets dark, our body sends signals to produce more melatonin to make you feel sleepy. When optic nerves catch the light (yes, I’m talking about your mobile phone’s light), it confuses your biological clock. These disruptions produce what we call health conditions like sleep disorders, obesity, and diabetes, to name some.
Let us focus on sleep and what happens when we miss our bus trip to dreamland.
Weakened immune system due to lack of sleep
Needless to say, when our body’s first line of defense becomes weak, it is easier for us to catch certain diseases. Lack of sleep is one of the main reasons our immune system weakens, making us susceptible to infections. The range can go from the common cold to certain cancers.
If an all-nighter cannot be avoided due to deadlines or schoolwork, make sure you hydrate properly. Avoid drinking an energy drink as the effects of most of these products can last longer than the time you should be up and running.
Brain functions deteriorate
When we sleep, we go through at least four sleep cycles. Each of these cycles would take place for at least an hour. When this gets disrupted, irritability, memory loss, and critical thinking problems manifest. These are all examples of ‘cognitive impairment’.
Creating healthy sleep hygiene could ensure that you get enough time to sleep, which improves brain functions both in the short and long term.
You’re breaking your heart
The heart pumps and circulates oxygenated blood to all parts of the body in less than 60 seconds. When we sleep less than five hours, it puts the heart in a harmful state—pressure in our blood increases which could lead to stroke. Both sleeping less and sleeping longer than you’re supposed to can cause harm to your heart.
Keeping a consistent routine can help you put yourself to sleep earlier. Allowing yourself to have at least 30 minutes to wind down can significantly impact your quality of sleep.
Tightened pants
Probably one of the most dangerous effects of sleep deprivation is when our glucose resistance lowers. Leptin and Ghrelin are two hormones related to feeling hungry and feeling full. When we lack sleep, leptin levels increase, telling our bodies that we are hungry. It is one of the links discovered between sleep deprivation, weight gain, and obesity.
Setting up a regular time for dinner can help your body in digesting food right before sleeping. It is advisable to make sure that you do not take dinner way too late or close to bedtime.
There will always be times when we simply feel like staying up late. In this internet era, we are offered many options to do things, even by just sitting or lying down in bed. However, when these things are not managed, they present severe damage to our bodies.
Clear, supple skin? Enhanced memory performance? Creating and following good sleeping hygiene will not only be very beneficial in ensuring we’ll have a nice trip to slumberland – but it also helps our body get to function at an optimum level.
In between heavy workload, busy schoolwork, and the noise and distractions we get in social media, sleeping long hours becomes a luxury most of us may not afford. But we must push to create a balance on things. After all, sleeping is the best reward we can offer ourselves after a long day.
