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Effects of Bad Sleeping Habits on Health

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Christopher Cloos
Effects of Bad Sleeping Habits on Health

Introduction

Bad sleeping habits have many impacts on the body and functionality of a person. From feeling grumpy to inability to work at one's full potential, bad sleeping habits have been known to lower the brain’s power causing one to forget things easily. In addition to affecting the mental health, lack of sleep can also affect the physical health. Lack of sleep puts one at risk of contracting severe conditions including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. It has also been found to shorten life expectancy. In the sections below, I will explore more effects of bad sleeping habits.

While a lot of people may overlook the lack of sleep as a non-important issue to think about, it has been found to be a problem affecting numerous people around the world. It is not an adult’s only issue but also affects students and young people. Sleep deprivation in students especially is caused by staying up late in the night to finish homework or school projects. This in turn results into poor performance in exams as they are unable to concentrate in the classroom. It also affects their brain by reducing their memory power. Researchers have found that sleeping for 8-9 hours a day allows the body to function well. Based on write my discussion post to sleep deprivation surveys that have been conducted in the past, it has been found that lack of sleep results into blurred vision, irritability, memory loss and confusion. It also lowers a person’s immune system. It also lowers a person’s immune system. Poor academic performance

According to a research conducted on dental students in Saudi Arabia, it was found that students who suffered sleep deprivation performed worse that average students. The research focused mainly on class performance, sleep hours, sleep quality and general academic skills of the students. What is even more shocking is that a lot of the examined students did not realize that their poor academic performance was directly related to bad sleeping habits. During the survey, students were asked to explain how they think lack of sleep affected them. As shown in the figure below, a lot of students indicated experiencing headaches after lack of enough sleep.

Fig 1: sleep deprivation effects

Low immunity

It has been found that sleep boosts immunity. Lack of sleep for a prolonged period has the potential of massively lowering body immunity such that the affected person is unable to withstand infections. Moreover, lack of sleep also lowers mental alertness resulting in moody days. Anxiety and depression are some of the disorders that have been found to be caused by lack of sleep. One research conducted by the Department of Human Services in Minnesota found out that individuals diagnosed with depression or anxiety slept for less than six hours a day. Similar studies have also found out that people with bad sleeping habits are at a higher risk of becoming diabetic. It has been found that missing deep sleep can easily cause type 2 diabetes as that habit affects how the body processes glucose which is vital for the provision of energy to the body. Gaining extra weight, stroke, heart failure and heart disease are also other diseases that have been associated with insomnia.

Fig 2: insomnia effects

Memory loss and forgetfulness

According to a study conducted by American and French scientists in 2009, lack of sleep can lead to a gradual loss of memory. Insomnia affects certain brain operations called ‘sharp wave ripples’ which are responsible for ensuring good memory. The operations occur when one is deep asleep meaning that failure to fall asleep alters them. Consequently, the brain is severely affected hence lowering long-term memory.

Conclusion

It evident that lack of sleep has dire consequences on the physical and mental well-being of the affected person. Lack of sleep not only results in long-term memory loss but can also lead to weight gain and heart diseases. Moreover, it lowers the body’s immunity and can cause depression. Although a lot of people overlook the impacts insomnia can have on their bodies, it is vital to ensure that one sleeps for 7-9 hours a day for a healthy life.



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