Here are 10 consequences of not getting enough sleep:

Lack of sleep leads to accidents

Serious accidents are most often related to poor sleep and fatigue schedules. Studies have claimed that driving while suffering from sleep loss is just as dangerous as drunk driving because reaction times are equally affected by both activities. People under the age of 25 are particularly affected by this phenomenon.

In addition to accidents on the road, lack of sleep can also lead to an increased risk of injuries or accidents at work or at home. Not getting enough sleep has been linked to a significant increase in workplace accidents, as well as a higher number of sick days.

Not getting enough sleep can lead to death

British studies have shown that people who have irregular sleep patterns that do not allow for adequate rest have a higher mortality rate than those who get enough sleep on a regular basis. In particular, sleep-deprived patients appear to have a significantly increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

More likely to develop diseases

One of the causes of the effects of sleep is that it increases the risk of developing several chronic diseases. It is estimated that 90 percent of people who suffer from insomnia also suffer from another chronic health condition that can be life-threatening. Some of the most common chronic diseases that increase with lack of sleep are the following:

-Diabetes

-Stroke

-Heart disease

-Heart failure

-Infarct

-Arrhythmia

-High blood pressure

Decreases sexual desire

Men and women suffering from sleep deprivation were studied and it was determined that most of them had lower libidos and less interest in having sex. Lack of sleep causes a person to have less energy and more tension in the body, which inhibits the desire to have sex. Men with sleep apnea also tend to have lower levels of testosterone , which can decrease libido.

Can trigger depression and anxiety

The most common sleep disorder, insomnia, has the strongest link to depression. In a 2007 study of 10,000 people, people with insomnia were five times more likely to develop depression than those who did not. In fact, insomnia is often one of the first symptoms of depression.

Insomnia and depression feed on each other. Sleep loss often aggravates symptoms of depression, and depression can make it harder to fall asleep.

Skin aging

Lack of sleep can cause skin problems. Just one night’s sleep can cause puffy eyes and yellowish skin. If a person continues to develop consistent sleep loss, this damage can become permanent. Dark circles under the eyes, sallow skin and fine lines on the face can become permanent.

The skin’s elasticity can also be damaged over time. Chronic fatigue leads to excessive stress that causes the body to produce more of the hormone cortisol, which breaks down the protein in the skin that keeps it elastic and smooth.

Fatigue causes you to forget things

In 2009, American and French researchers determined that certain brain waves are responsible for memory consolidation. Where is the hippocampus to the neocortex of the brain, where long-term memories are stored. Acute wave ripples occur during the deepest levels of sleep, so if a person does not get enough sleep, he or she will not be able to remember many things.

Gaining weight is easier when you don’t sleep well.

A regular sleep schedule helps your body maintain a regular appetite and hunger schedule. Your hormone ghrelin stimulates appetite and decreases the production of leptin which suppresses appetite. Losing your appetite increases the likelihood of overeating, which can lead to obesity over time. Studies have shown that people who sleep less than seven hours a day are 30 percent more likely to be obese than those who sleep nine hours or more.

Impairs judgment

If you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t be able to interpret events accurately. In particular, those who don’t get enough sleep tend to make poor judgments about how much sleep they need. Similarly, the decision making process is made more difficult if the person is sleepy or tired.

Lack of sleep hinders learning

Sleep is essential for the cognitive processes associated with learning. Lack of sleep reduces alertness and attention span which facilitates the assimilation of information. Inattention also limits a person’s ability to reason and solve problems effectively, which means that fatigued people cannot learn at an effective level.