Our body works on a circadian rhythm which is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. It can refer to any biological process that displays an endogenous, entrainable oscillations of about 24 hours. That’s like having an internal clock which responds to daylight and darkness in our environment.
If we violate our clock then there comes a reaction by our body. Our mental abilities and physical health are affected vastly, especially when we deprive ourselves of good sound sleep. Scientists have found out that people who chronically skip sleep suffer from a multitude of health issues.
When we sleep, our brain forms new connections that help us retain new information. A lack of sound sleep will eventually impact both short and long-term memory. Recent research also indicates that a single night of sleep loss results in the brain buildup of a protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease.
At its most basic, sleep deprivation has a direct impact on our working memory. When we don’t get enough sleep, we can’t concentrate, our creativity is diminished. And most importantly, our abilities to solve problems get clouded. According to the journal named Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, sleep deprivation affects our decision making and long-term memory.
A lack of sleep affects our mood and our ability to create memories or learn stuff gets weakened. Sleep deprivation makes us moody and quick-tempered, which can lead to anxiety or depression. Sleep deprivation can over stimulate parts of our brain which will lead to permanent damage in our brain.
These are merely mental health issues that are caused by sleep deprivation, while it has more severe physical attributions. Weight gain, heart issues, high blood pressure, and weakened immunity are some of those physical symptoms. So it’s understandable why psychologists and doctors advise taking at least 8 hours of sleep daily.
