What's
been keeping you up lately?
As you
read this, keep in mind that I am writing this blog at 10:45 pm, which has been
the earliest time I have been to bed in months, which is a complete surprise
for me since my regular bedtime is 1 am in the morning. Even though I am in
bed, warm and cozy and comfy, I am still in fact, awake. I'm still going about
my business working and thinking and logging my daily tasks into place to get
ready for the next day. It's almost as if my brain is on auto run mode and it
doesn't compute that it needs to be in shut down mode now in order for me to
get a decent nights sleep. This is not good. Can't be good at all. I have got to
start doing some major changes around this whole no sleeping issue.
The
reason I decided to tackle the issue of sleep deprivation in my blog today is
simply because I am sleep deprived and I suffer through everyday because of it.
And I am not the only one out there who is as well. I wanted to spread some
light on the effects that sleep deprivation has on our bodies and minds
because, guess what, it ain't good.
Physically
speaking, you can train like a warrior and eat like a well oiled machine, but
if you aren't getting in enough zzz's then this is what is/could happen to you.
And please keep in mind, these are the long term consequences of what could
occur should a sleep disorder go untreated, whether knowingly or not. Get ready
for it, it's daunting:
1. Heart
attack
2. High
blood pressure
3. Heart
failure
4.
Stroke
5.
Obesity
6.
Attention Deficit Disorder
7.
Psychiatric problems, depression, mood disorders
8. Mental impairment
9. Fetal
and childhood growth
retardation
10. Injury from accidents
11. Disruption of bed partner's sleep
quality
12. Poor
quality of life
Take a
breath and just relax a little into your chair so that you can fully absorb
this list of the 12 negative long term health effects that a lack of sleep can
do to you or to someone you love. Has it hit you yet? That list is the no going
back zone. Your body has reached its limit and is flaking out. I'm not writing
this list to scare you, well maybe to scare you, but I'm doing this because I
care. No more pussy footing around here.
Good news...there
is still some room for improvement, and boy oh boy, do I love renovation!
In the
short term, after risk assessment, education, and treatment, memory and
cognitive deficits improve and the number of injuries decreases, so here comes
the short terms health consequences list, which can all be improved on once
medical intervention has taken place. Or just a few extra hours of sleep have
been acquired.
1. Decreased Performance and Alertness:
losing as little as one and a half hours for
just one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by as much as
32%.
32%!!!!
Just from having lost as little as one and a half hours. Must. Sleep. More.
2. Memory and Cognitive Impairment:
Decreased alertness and excessive daytime sleepiness impair your memory and
your cognitive ability -- your ability to think and process information. It's no wonder that I
am able to watch Teletoons with my son for as long as I can, my cognitive level has been reduced to a 17 month olds!! Geez
3. Stress Relationships: If your partner sleeps bad; you sleep bad,
which in turn may cause
significant problems for the relationship (for example, separate bedrooms,
conflicts, moodiness, etc.).
4. Poor Quality of Life: You might, for
example, be unable to participate in certain activities that require sustained
attention, like going to the movies, seeing your child in a school play, or
watching a favorite TV show. You
mean to tell me that the burning sensation in my eyes is not from the suns
rays????.
5. Occupational Injury: Excessive
sleepiness increases your chances of sustaining an occupational injury by twofold. Weel, isn't it a good thing that I
work from home. Although, I do feel for the dogs now, look out!
6. Automobile Injury: The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that each year drowsy driving is responsible for at least 100,000
automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities.
Get
this, studies are now showing that there is an increased risk of death
for those individuals who are sleeping less than either six or seven hours
per night. One study found that reduced sleep time has a greater
mortality risk than smoking, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Yikes.
That is
some pretty heavy stuff. I would never have thought that being sleep deprived would
shorten my life span so considerably! But it makes sense, the body works as a
whole, and if it's not able to function properly because of exhaustion, it
basically becomes like a dam, holding the flood waters back, waiting for that
one catalyst to set the water free to destroy everything in its path. It all
makes sense. We are one being with so many inter-connecting functions that it's
nonsense to think that one thing wrong could not affect another and send off a
chain reaction. I don't know why i thought my lack of sleep was not affecting
me...
Perhaps
it was my sleep deprivation that kept me from thinking clearly ;(
On that
sleep deprived note and on this sleep deprived night, I am determined to sleep
before the clock strikes 12!
I hope
this information finds you and someone you love well.
Sleep
well and Cheers to Your Health!
Katerina
Health
and Wellness Blogger
GEM
Magazine LI
