Trouble sleeping? You are not alone. Sleep deprivation is a common ailment in adults. Lack of sleep can have an adverse effect on your life in many ways. Some of them are obvious like how it can affect your mood and ability to concentrate during the day. But it can also lower your life expectancy by dramatically increasing your risk for serious medial conditions like diabetes, obesity, heart disease and depression.
Here are 5 ways that lack of sleep may be affecting you.
1. Weight Gain
Research has shown that getting less than 6 hours of sleep can increase your likely hood of gaining weight. Lack of sleep has been shown to increase hormones like ghrelin, which increase your hunger.
2. Mood disorders. Sleep deprivation often leads to:
- Irritability
- Symptoms of depression
- Chronic stress
- Anxiety
- Lack of motivation
3. Increased risk of accident
An estimated 5-6 thousand fatal crashes each year may involve people falling asleep at the wheel.
4. Increases Risk of Medical Issues
Sleep deprivation is associated with several serious medial conditions including:
- Increased risk of stroke
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Heart attack
- High blood pressure
- Irregular heartbeat/arrhythmias
5. Illness
