8 Seriously Threatening Effects of Sleep Deprivation

Rebecca Lewis January 09, 2014

You know that sleeplessness can make you grumpy and foggy. It can also give you dark circles. But did you know it can wreck your health in a lot more ways? Here are eight surprising, yet seriously dangerous effects of sleep deprivation.

Lack of sleep puts you at risk of cancer.

Sleep deprivation is a major risk factor for a wide range of illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, cancer and dementia. In 2012, researchers from University Hospitals Case Medical Centre’s Seidman Cancer Centre and the Case Comprehensive Cancer Centre at Case Western Reserve University, getting 6 hours or fewer hours of sleep each night seemed to increase the risk of cancer recurring among post-menopausal breast cancer patients. Another study, published in 2013 in the journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, found that men who had sleep issues were twice as likely to develop prostate cancer as those who slept well.

It kills your sex drive.

Not getting enough sleep may also be ruining your sex life. Sleep specialists say that sleep-deprived men and women report low libidos and reduced interest in sex. A 2012 study reported in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism revealed that men with sleep apnoea tend to have low testosterone levels.

Staying up late gives you more fats.

A 2004 study found that people who sleep less than 6 hours a day were almost 30 per cent more likely to become obese than those who slept seven to nine hours. So how does lack of sleep promote weight gain? Recent studies suggest that lack of sleep triggers the body to produce more ghrelin – hormone that stimulates hunger, and less leptin – hormone that suppresses appetite. So, your tendency is to eat more, with preference to high-calorie meals.

Lack of sleep impairs your judgement.

If you think you’re doing fine with less sleep, you’re wrong. Not getting enough sleep can significantly impair your judgement. In 2007, a study published in the journal Sleep revealed that sleep deprivation impairs one’s ability to integrate emotion and cognition to render moral judgments.

Sleep deprivation ages your skin.

You probably have experienced puffy eyes and dark circles when you lack sleep. Fortunately, everything goes back to normal after a restful slumber. But chronic lack of sleep could cause permanent changes on your skin. Here’s why. Whenever you’re sleep deprived, your body produces excessive amount of stress hormone cortisol which break down your skin collagen – the protein that keeps skin smooth and elastic.

It makes you forgetful.

Sleep plays a vital role in memory consolidation. In 2009, American and French researchers discovered that brain events called “sharp wave ripples” are responsible for consolidating and storing long-term memory. According to them, sharp wave ripples occur mostly during the deepest levels of sleep.

Sleeping less is depressing.

Over time, chronic sleep problems can contribute to symptoms of depression. In 2005, American researchers found that people diagnosed with depression or anxiety were more likely to sleep less than six hours at night. The most common sleep disorder, insomnia, has the strongest link to depression.

Lack of sleep increases your mortality risk.

In 2007, a team of British researchers looked at how sleep patterns affected the mortality rate of over 10,000 British civil servants for over two decades. They found that those who slept five hours or less doubled their risk of death from all causes.

Quality sleep is vital to your health. So amidst your busy schedule, make it a part of your priority list. If you have sleep issues, consider talking to your doctor or a trained sleep specialist to know what treatments are most suitable for you.