10 things that happen to your body when you lose sleep

Most of us need around 8 hours of good-quality sleep each night to function properly – but some need more and some less. What matters is that you find out how much sleep you need and then try to achieve it. As a general rule, if you wake up tired and spend the day longing for a chance to have a nap, it’s likely that you’re not getting enough sleep. These are some of the things that happens to our body when we don’t get enough sleep.

1. Lack of alertness

Even missing as little as 1.5hours can have an impact on how you feel. If you don’t get enough sleep in the night, you will find it hard to concentrate during the day. You’ll feel sleepy throughout the day, which will affect your productivity during the day.

2. You get sick

When you’re sleep deprived, your immune system automatically goes down and loses the ability to fight off illnesses. Studies show that people who don’t get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as a common cold virus. Lack of sleep can also affect how fast you recover if you do get sick.

3. Fatigue

Feeling extremely tired during the day is one of the hallmark signs of sleep deprivation. People with excessive daytime sleepiness may feel drowsy and have a hard time staying awake even when they need to.

4. Changes in weight

Sleep can affect the hormones that control feelings of hunger and fullness. It can also trigger the release of insulin. Changes to sleep can cause increased fat storage, changes in body changes, and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

5. Your skin suffers

Most people have experienced sallow skin and puffy eyes after a few nights of missed sleep. But it turns out that chronic sleep loss can lead to lackluster skin, fine lines, and dark circles under the eyes. Sleep loss also causes the body to release too little human growth hormone. When we’re young, human growth hormone promotes growth. As we age, it helps increase muscle mass, thicken skin, and strengthen bones.

6. Poor decision making

Lack of sleep can affect our interpretation of events. This hurts our ability to make sound judgments because we may not assess situations accurately and act on them wisely. Sleep-deprived people seem to be especially prone to poor judgment when it comes to assessing what lack of sleep is doing to them. In our increasingly fast-paced world, functioning on less sleep has become a kind of badge of honor.

7. Higher risk of diabetes

When you don’t get enough sleep, the hormone levels in your body can also become irregular. This includes cortisol, a hormone that keeps your body awake. When we lack sleep, the body may produce additional cortisol. While cortisol production increases in the body, blood sugar levels may also increase. While this occurs a small degree within the body naturally, our behaviour drives this change even more by what we eat.

8. You’ll be more accident prone

When you’re sleep deprived, your chances of getting into a car accident is three times more likely. Especially if you drive on daily basis, you need to make sure that you get enough sleep each night.

9. Your libido diminishes

Poor sleep can lead to emotional and emotional problems that can hinder sexual health. 

10. Your mental health suffers

Over time, inadequate sleep can take a toll on your mood, potentially causing emotional instability or depression. Depression and anxiety can then contribute to other health consequences, from unhealthy coping behaviors to increased risk of chronic diseases like heart disease—even increased risk of suicide.