How Does Sleep Deprivation Affect Our Body Functions & Systems?

in #steempress6 years ago

Our body consists of mainly six major systems: Central Nervous system, Immune System, Respiratory System, Digestive System, Cardiovascular System and Endocrine system. Each of them plays a vital role in managing our body both physically and mentally, and will be affected by lack of sleep! Here we will discuss how sleep deprivation will affect our body systems and functions.

Central nervous system

The central nervous system is the information highway of our body. Having the recommended hours of bedtime is necessary to keep our body functioning properly. Problems like chronic insomnia can disturb how our body usually sends out information. When we are sleeping, pathways form between nerve cells (neurons) in our brain, allowing us to remember new information that we have learned. Loss of sleep leaves our brain exhausted such that we are unable to perform our duties well. One may also find it a lot more difficult to concentrate or to learn new things. Signals in our body also send out at a delay, drastically reducing our coordination skills and increase our risks for accidents.
Sleep deprivation also affects our mental abilities and emotional state negatively, causing us to feel more impatient and are prone to a mood swing. It will also compromise decision-making processes and creativity.
If lack of sleep is allowed to continues long enough, you could start having hallucinations, seeing or hearing things that aren’t there at all! Sleep deprivation can also trigger mania in people who have manic depression. Other psychological risks include impulsive behavior, depression, paranoia and suicidal thoughts.
Moreover, you may also experience microsleep in the day. During these events, you’ll fall asleep for a few seconds or minutes without even realizing it. Microsleep is out of our control and can increase the risk of your work as one is more prone to injury due to trips and falls.

Immune system

When we are sleeping, our immune system produces cytokines which are a protective, infection-fighting substance. These substances are used to combat foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses. Furthermore, cytokines also help us to sleep, giving our immune system more energy to defend our body against illness.

Sleeping way too little will prevents our immune system from building up its force. Sleep deprivation might prevent our body from being able to fend off invaders. Thus, we might take a longer time to recover from illness. Chronic sleep deprivation will also increase your risk for chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart diseases.

Respiratory system

Sleep and our respiratory system are related in many ways! During nighttime, a breathing disorder called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can interrupt our sleep and lower the quality of our sleep. As we will wake up throughout the night, this will cause sleep deprivation, thus leaving us more vulnerable to common cold, flu and other respiratory infections. Sleep deprivation can also worsen existing respiratory disease such as chronic lung illness.

Digestive system

Adding to eating too much and the lack of exercise, sleep deprivation is another notorious factor for obesity and becoming overweight. Sleep affects the levels of two hormones, leptin, and ghrelin, which control our feelings for hunger and fullness.

Along with eating too much and not exercising, sleep deprivation is another risk factor for becoming overweight and obesity. Sleep affects the levels of two hormones, leptin, and ghrelin, which control feelings of hunger and fullness.

Hormone-like leptin tells our brain that you’ve had enough to eat. Without adequate sleep, our brain reduces leptin and raises ghrelin, which is a hormone that stimulates your appetite. The changes in these hormones could explain your nighttime snacking or why someone may overeat later in the night. Lacking sleep can also contribute to weight gain by making you feel too tired to exercise. Sleep deprivation also prompts our body to release higher levels of insulin, which is a hormone that controls our blood sugar level, after we eat. Thus promoting fat storage and increase the risk for type 2 diabetes.

Cardiovascular system

Sleep affects processes that keep our heart and blood vessels healthy, including our blood sugar, blood pressure, and inflammation levels. It also plays a huge role in our body’s ability to heal and repair the blood vessels and heart.

People who are sleep deprived are more likely to get cardiovascular disease. A recent study also claimed that insomnia is related to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Endocrine system

Sleep affects our hormone production. For testosterone production, a human need to have at least three hours of uninterrupted sleep, which is roughly around the time of your first REM episode. Waking up abruptly throughout the night could certainly affect your hormone production.

Moreover, this disturbance will also affect growth hormone production, especially in children and adolescents. These hormones assist in the building of muscle mass and repair cells and tissues. Even though pituitary gland releases growth hormones continuously, sleep and exercise help to induce the release of this hormone.

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