Sleep deprivation is the condition of not having enough sleep. Most people need 6-8 hours of sleep to keep healthy. In this world today, it is hard to get that required amount of sleep. We live our lives at such a fast pace such as handeling our family affairs, work, or even our nightly activities. Many people force themselves to carry out their daily routines on a few hours of sleep. Insufficient sleep can be manifested in many ways like an exhausted immune system, weakened thinking abilities, and intensified stress levels. Operating on an insufficient amount of sleep can cause our brain to respond to some issues slowly. Solution solving can become even more difficult and in some cases hallucinations can take place in your brains thought process. Usually when sleep deprivation happens depression, heart disease and stress take hold causing your health to deteriate. As we grow older we need to receive the required amount of sleep. Health research has been found that more than 50 percent of persons who are 65 years or older suffer from this problem. That is why as we get older we need to take more frequent naps. This is healthy the older you grow.
Weight gain can also be an issue. Because lack of adequate sleep impairs our judgment, we are incapable of feeling full and satisfied after a meal. This leads to overeating and weight gain. Weight fluctuations are common in people who do not get enough quiet sleep. There are two hormones that your body uses to control weight: ghrelin and leptin. Leptin is a protein that regulates and controls appetite and ghrelin is responsible for stimulating your appetite. Both are supposed to tell your brain when you are full. Scientist have found that people with sleep deprivation may find weight loss extremely difficult because a lack of sleep causes elevated levels of ghrelin and decreased levels of leptin. Low leptin levels may increase appetite, leading to weight gain. An estimated 65% of Americans are overweight or obese and 63% of the population report that they do not get 8 hours of sleep or more per night. For people suffering from extreme sleep deprivation and getting only 2-4 hours of sleep per night, weight loss is unlikely because they are 73% more likely to be obese than those getting 8 hours or more of sleep. The effects of lack of sleep on weight gain are far-reaching. In addition to physical effects of lack of sleep, people experiencing sleep deprivation find it difficult to gather the energy needed for exercising, or even preparing healthy meals.
Signes that you may have sleep deprivation include irritability, slow reaction times, slurred speech, depression, heart desease and hypertension. Many times this condition goes undiagnosed. Knowing if you have these above symtoms can help your doctor determine if you have this condition.