Learn what diseases you can get when you miss your sleep. Check out the article we found over at The Hearty Soul.
Sleep, while one of the most blissful and relaxing things we do to survive, is also one of the most essential. When we close our eyes for those few hours each night, we give our body the chance to recharge after all the stresses of the previous day. Millions of processes go on while you sleep, helping the brain to commit things to memory, while cells go to work regenerating and repairing the tissue that was damaged while we were awake.
When we don’t sleep, however, none of this gets the chance to happen. Not only will we awake feeling cranky the next day and have a difficult time concentrating, prolonged periods of sleep deprivation may have serious consequence on our health. In fact, ample research has been conducted on exactly what happens to different parts of the body if we are not getting our eight hours each night.
What these studies have found is that lack of sleep can cause a slew of serious and life-threatening conditions, ranging from cancers to diabetes, and heart issues. So what exactly are the conditions that have been officially linked to poor sleeping habits?
A 2013 study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that a lack of sleep can both be a cause of Alzheimer’s disease and impact the speed of the disease’s progression. The study was conducted based on previous research that discovered sleep is necessary for the brain to get rid of “cerebral waste,” or the garbage-like buildup that can accumulate and cause dementia.
Conducting their study on 70 adults, ranging between the ages of 53 and 91, researchers found that those who reported getting poor sleep each night showed a greater amount of beta-amyloid deposition in their brains on PET scans. This compound is known to be a definitive marker of Alzheimer’s disease, leading researchers to conclude that lack of sleep is preventing the brain from getting rid of this form of “cerebral waste.”
Source: Spira AP, Gamaldo AA, An Y, et al. Self-reported Sleep and β-Amyloid Deposition in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. JAMA Neurology. 2013.
Diabetes has long been linked to poor sleep, but a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago unpacked how poor sleep can potentially cause obesity, and ultimately, lead to diabetes. Knowing that fatty acid levels within the blood can impact metabolism speed and insulin’s ability to regulate blood sugar, researchers examined the effects little sleep had on fatty acid buildup.
Examining 19 men’s sleeping patterns, researchers found that those who got only four hours of sleep over the span of three nights had high levels of fatty acid within their blood between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. This was a 15 to 30 percent increase over those who got 8.5 hours of sleep each night. Also, researchers found that the increase in fatty acid levels caused a higher degree of insulin resistance, all signs they attribute to pre-diabetes. Those who got more sleep, however, did not present the same markers for obesity or pre-diabetes.
3. Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease has been linked to poor sleep for some time now, but a recent study presented at EuroHeartCare, the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology found greater evidence of a strong correlation. After following 657 Russian men between the ages of 25 and 64 for 14 years, researchers found that nearly two-thirds of those who experienced a heart attack also had a sleep disorder.
Next article: Drink a Little Of This To Fall Asleep Fast And Stay Asleep
Read full article: 6 DISEASES YOUR LACK OF SLEEP COULD BE CAUSING
Recent Comments