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Five signs of sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation can be linked to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
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Sleep deprivation is linked to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. (Shutterstock/Nitikorn Poonsiri)
I
t can be tough to get the recommended eight hours of sleep every single night, but if you find yourself struggling to stay awake during the day, you might be suffering from sleep deprivation.
Sleep deprivation is no joke, as The Observer reported it is linked to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, and is linked to 20 percent of car accidents.
Here are five signs that you need to get more sleep:
1. Weight gain
If you’ve been gaining weight for no reason, it might be because your insulin sensitivity has decreased. This leads to excess insulin creation, which causes the storage of fat. This then leads to weight gain and risks like diabetes. During sleep your body regulates insulin so that this can be prevented.
2. Carbo-loading
Coming hand-in-hand with weight gain is the need to load up with carbohydrates and sugar. If you’ve found yourself reaching for a sugary afternoon snack, your ghrelin hormone may be low. Ghrelin tells the body that you’re hungry, and these levels can increase when you don’t sleep.
Read also: Avoid sleepless nights with these fixes
3. Trouble focusing
Brain fog isn’t a myth. It’s a real issue that can worsen with a lack of sleep. High levels of cortisol are triggered by lack of sleep, which then suppress dopamine. This is why you have issues focusing on tasks at hand, as dopamine regulates motivation.
4. Stress
Cortisol also plays a part in one’s stress levels. It triggers our fight or flight response, which may be helpful in a crisis, but when you constantly have high levels of it, it can lead to weight gain, anxiety and hormonal imbalances. Sleep has been found to be the best way to naturally lower cortisol.
5. Mood swings
Sleep deprivation has long been found to have a great impact on our moods. If we don’t get enough, even the smallest things can trigger a blowout. Those suffering from anxiety or depression are also more likely to struggle with sleep, and a lack of sleep can also impact mood disorders as a whole. (sul/wng)
