 This
Is Your Body Without Sleep
Source: Prevention.com
You crave junk food
Sleep loss may cause you to want more calories than
your body needs, especially in the form of sugary snacks
and starches. After going without enough sleep for
two nights, people in one study had more of the hunger-inducing
hormone ghrelin and less of the appetite-suppressing
hormone leptin.
Long-term risk: Obesity
You're less able to process glucose
It's the fuel that every cell in your body needs to
function. After just 6 days of sleep restriction, people
develop resistance to insulin, the hormone that helps
transport glucose from the bloodstream into the cells,
say University of Chicago researchers. In another study,
tests showed that participants who slept fewer than
6 hours a night and claimed to be "natural short
sleepers" couldn't metabolize sugar properly.
Long-term risk: Type 2 diabetes
You're always in fight-or-flight mode
The University of Chicago study also found that inadequate
shut-eye caused levels of cortisol, the stress hormone,
to spike in the afternoon and evening--increasing heart
rate, blood pressure, and blood glucose. Aside from
posing future health problems, the cortisol-induced
alertness comes at an inopportune time--when you should
be winding down your day or sleeping.
Long-term risks: Hypertension, heart disease, and
type 2 diabetes
Your immune system weakens
People who got insufficient sleep for 10 days had
elevated levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammation
marker that's been linked to heart disease and some
autoimmune diseases, according to a study. Other research
revealed that sleep-deprived men failed to mount the
normal immune response after receiving flu shots. They
had only half as many disease-fighting antibodies 10
days after the vaccination, compared with men who were
well rested.
Long-term risk: Inflammation, which can lead to heart
disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes
You're not mentally sharp, and your mood takes a nosedive
After a restless night, reaction time is decreased,
making driving (among other activities) dangerous.
Chronically tired people are also less happy. "Sleep
and mood are regulated by the same brain chemicals," says
Joyce Walsleben, PhD.
Long-term risk: Depression, but probably only for
those who are already susceptible to the illness
<<
Back to Archive |
