Grim effects of lack of sleep.

As I have detailed many times, sleep issues are very common - and we at HMHB also have our own problems. It happens to many, and it feels like you are trapped sometimes.

Now, an expert has warned that a lack of sleep leads to heart disease, weight gain, and even interferes with our DNA. It was spelled out in a survey that concluded that just one in six of us is getting the recommended eight hours of rest a night - I know I am not!!!

When you are sleep deprived you are at risk of raised blood pressure, higher cholesterol and damage to the immune system. This is according to Professor Paul Gringas, who works in the field of sleep medicine in London.

"Just one night's bad sleep changes epigenetic signals to our DNA, that cause weight gain and loss of muscle mass and can affect thew way that memories are laid down in the hippocampus - part of our brains."

44 per cent of people get under 6 hours of sleep a night.
85 per cent of people found their sleep improved when they exercised during the day.

Sleep deprivation can also result in an increased risk of new and advanced respiratory diseases. A lack of sleep can affect body weight. Two hormones in thee body - leptin and ghrelin - control feelings of hunger  and satiety, or fullness. The levels of these hormones are affected by sleep.

Your central nervous system is the information highway of your body. Sleep is necessary to keep it functioning properly, but chronic insomnia can disrupt how your body usually sends information. During sleep, pathways form between nerve cells (neurons) in your brain that help you remember new information you have learned. Sleep deprivation leaves your brain exhausted, so it cannot perform its duties as well.

Without sleep, it negatively affects your mental abilities and emotional state. You can feel impatient or prone to mood swings. It compromises your decision making and creativity. It takes away your focus.


HMHB says:
We firmly see the link between mental health and sleep. Anxiety, stress, depression eat away at you, and at night, when things are generally quiet, this is when our brains seem to go into overdrive, concentrating on all that is bad. There is no easy answer. No easy solution. All we can do is try and address issues affecting us, try and change that mindset and push ourselves on. It is tough.