Medically reviewed by
Dacelin St Martin, MD
Triple board-certified in Sleep Medicine,
Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics.
Overview
Sleep deprivation is common in today’s go-go-go civilization, posing significant threats to the quality of life, emotional well-being, cognitive function, and physical health.
The harmful consequences of chronic sleep deprivation on productivity and health are becoming more recognized as a public health problem, although they are still frequently underestimated.[1]
As a result, sleepiness has eclipsed alcohol and drugs as the most visible and avoidable cause of accidents in all forms of transportation. We’ll help you manage your sleep by giving you 5 signs that you’re not getting enough quality sleep.
5 Signs that You’re Not Getting Quality Sleep
1) Anxiety: Sleeplessness is associated with mental diseases such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder; between 50 and 90 percent of individuals with psychiatric disorders also experience insomnia. Neurologically, this is because your brain’s mental and general health depends on you obtaining adequate sleep each night.[7]
Your sleep health, mental health, and general health are all intertwined. If you are having trouble with one, you probably have trouble with at least one of the others.
2) Impaired Sex Drive: You need a good night’s sleep for enjoyable sex, and your libido might suffer if you do not get enough sleep each night. In men, poor sleep is connected with erectile dysfunction, whereas insufficient sleep impairs hormone synthesis in women. Physiologically, this might reduce your sexual desire and make it more difficult for you or your partner to get into the mood.[8]
Women are more susceptible to poor sleep and decreased sex desire than males because they encounter more significant hormonal changes during their life, such as premenstrual symptoms, pregnancy, or menopause. Women are also more likely to get up in the middle of the night to care for newborns or small children.[8]
3) Excessive weight gain: Sleep deprivation, overeating, and not exercising are risk factors for being overweight or obese. Sleep influences the levels of two hormones, leptin, and ghrelin, which regulate appetite and fullness.
Leptin signals to your brain that you have received enough food. Without adequate sleep, your brain decreases leptin and increases ghrelin, a hunger stimulant. The fluctuation of these hormones might explain why people nibble at night or overeat later in the evening.[4]
Sleep deprivation might make you feel too fatigued to exercise at times. Because you are not burning enough calories and are not growing muscle mass, less physical activity may encourage weight gain over time.
Furthermore, sleep deprivation leads your body to create less insulin after you eat. Insulin helps to lower blood glucose levels.[6]
4) Cardiovascular diseases: Sleep impacts processes that keep your heart and blood vessels healthy, such as blood sugar, blood pressure, and inflammatory levels.[3] It also contributes to your body’s ability to repair and replace blood vessels and the heart.[2]
Cardiovascular disease is more likely to occur in those who do not get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.[5]
5) Loss of memory: Sleep deprivation has long been known to influence human cognitive capabilities negatively. More recent findings show that the disadvantages caused by a lack of sleep depend on the nature of the cognitive functions under consideration. According to current research, partial and complete sleep deprivation decreases primarily behavioral alertness (sustained attention) and cognitive processing capacity (working memory), with detectable impact sizes.[9]
Conclusion
If you notice these symptoms, take the necessary steps to improve your sleep. You would be surprised how much better you feel after a good night’s sleep. If your sleeplessness is persistent, please take the time to talk to your doctor as you may have a sleep disorder.
Reference:
- Goel, N., Rao, H., Durmer, J. S. and Dinges, D. F. Neurocognitive consequences of sleep deprivation. Semin. Neurol., 2009, 29: 320–339.
- Cappuccio, F. P., D’elia, L., Strazzullo, P. and Miller, M. A. Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Sleep, 2010, 33: 585–592.
- Mullington, J. M., Simpson, N. S., Meier-Ewert, H. K. and Haack, M. Sleep loss and inflammation. Best Pract. Res. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., 2010, 24: 775–784.
- He, Q., Zhang, P., Li, G., Dai, H., & Shi, J. (2017). The association between insomnia symptoms and risk of cardio-cerebral vascular events: A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 24(10), 1071-1082.
- Lund, J., Lund, C., Morville, T., & Clemmensen, C. (2020). The unidentified hormonal defense against weight gain. PLoS biology, 18(2), e3000629.
- Knutson, K. L., Spiegel, K., Penev, P., & Van Cauter, E. (2007). The metabolic consequences of sleep deprivation. Sleep medicine reviews, 11(3), 163-178.
- Pires, G. N., Bezerra, A. G., Tufik, S., & Andersen, M. L. (2016). Effects of acute sleep deprivation on state anxiety levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep medicine, 24, 109-118.
- Landolt, H. P., Holst, S. C., Sousek, A., Bassetti, C., Dogas, Z., & Peigneux, P. (2014). Effects of acute and chronic sleep deprivation
- Lo, J. C., Groeger, J. A., Santhi, N., Arbon, E. L., Lazar, A. S., Hasan, S., … & Dijk, D. J. (2012). Effects of partial and acute total sleep deprivation on performance across cognitive domains, individuals, and circadian phase.
