Skimping on SLEEP can make you.............????
By roque20
@roque20 (518)
Philippines
October 29, 2008 7:41am CST
FAT. Research shows that people who get fewer than seven hours of sleep a night are 30 percent more likely to be obese. Lack of sleep alters the flow of hormones that regulate hunger and satiety, which can cause you to eat more. And when you're sleepy, you're more likely to reach for high-fat, high calorie foods to keep you going, says Jodi A. Mindell, Ph.D., author of Sleep deprived no more.
PRONE TO HEART DISEASE. Women who regularly get fewer that five hours of sleep per night are significantly more likely to suffer from hypertension - a leading heart disease risk factor, according to a recent study. When you're sleep deprived, your body produces more stress hormones and other substance that increase inflammation, which can up your risk of heart disease and stroke.
DEVELOP DIABETES. Those who get fewer than five hours of sleep per night have two- and a half times the risk of getting diabetes compared with those who snooze for seven to eight hours, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The likely reason? Suppression of deep sleep, the most restorative sleep stage, significantly decreases your ability to regulate blood sugar levels, according to new research.
CRANKY. Scientist have found that sleep deprivation makes the amygdala (the part of your brain that processes emotional events) go into overdrive and the prefrontal cortex (the part of your brain that regulates reasoning) become deactivated, making you feel less stable than usual. Lack of sleep makes the brain unable to put emotional experiences into context and produce rational responses, say researcher Matthew Walker,Ph.D.
SICK MORE OFTEN. While you're asleep, your body produces cytokines, chemicals that help the immune system flight off infection and disease. "Sleep not only affects how well your body fights infections but also determines how well your body produces antibodies after a vaccination," says Mindell. "Research shows that peoples who lack sleep produce half as many flu antibodies after receiving the flu vaccine.
1 person likes this
3 responses
@Wordplay (239)
• Canada
29 Oct 08
Wow, I never knew that lack of sleep could be linked to so many problems!
This is actually very scary news. For me there are never enough hours in the day and when I'm pressed for time, sleep is usually the one thing that will get cut short. I guess I have to learn to take it more seriously.
1 person likes this
@bamakelly (5191)
• United States
29 Oct 08
I find your facts pretty interesting. I did figure that lack of sleep can cause a lot of problems for people. I do try to get sleep and take a nap here and there as a stay at home mother.
I think that people these days lead such busy lives and don't take the time to get the rest they need to rejuvenate and to keep healthy. Thanks for the interesting data.
1 person likes this
@ladybug565 (2216)
• United States
1 Nov 08
That is really quite interesting. I am defenatly sleep deprived for the past few weeks. Not to mention stressed beyond belief! I knew that it could make you sick and cranky but the rest was an eye opener.