By -Dr. Aaksha Shukla
By -February 7, 2024Our life, can you say it is a constant struggle to reach targets, to earn, to achieve our goals, a race that we all are in. Most ignored is our sleep, which is essential for us to work effectively. Sleep is not a luxury but a fundamental requirement of the body, as it has equal importance as breathing. Just as a car runs on fuel, our bodies rely on sleep to function at their best. Sleep is nature's way of recharging, repairing, and rejuvenating our bodies, allowing us to wake up refreshed, energized, and ready to tackle the day. When we deprive ourselves of sleep, we're essentially running on an empty tank, setting ourselves up for a host of physical and mental health issues. Regularly sleeping less than seven hours at night can put your health and safety at risk, which is why it’s necessary that you prioritize and protect your sleep on a daily basis. Though sleep needs vary from person to person ,it is essential to get enough sleep. Sleep helps keep your mind and body healthy.
| Phases Of Age | Sleep requirement |
| Older adults | 7-9 hrs |
| Adults | 7-8 hrs |
| Teens | 8-10 hrs |
| School going children | 9-12 hrs |
| Preschoolers | 10-13 hrs( including naps ) |
| Toddler | 11-14 hrs( including naps ) |
| Babies | 12-16 hrs( including naps ) |
| Newborns | 14-17 hrs ( including naps ) |
Following are some of the reasons listed that are directly affected by the amount of sleep one gets including both physical ,mental and social well being.
Various studies have linked short sleep(less than 7 hours) with higher chances of weight gain and body mass index (BMI).The effect of sleep on weight gain is considered to be affected by various factors, such as hormones and motivation to exercise.As a fact sleep deprivation increases ghrelin levels and decrease in leptin level. Ghrelin is a hormone that makes us feel hungry, while leptin makes us feel full. This may cause individuals to feel hungrier and binge eat.
This fact is also supported by various studies that have shown that sleep-deprived individuals have a bigger appetite and are likely to eat more calories.
Additionally to compensate for a lack of energy, lack of sleep may make you crave foods that are higher in sugar and fat due to their higher calorie content. To make matters grim, feeling tired after a night of inadequate sleep may leave you feeling idle to hit the gym, go for a walk, or do other physical activity you enjoy. So, prioritizing sleep may support a healthy body weight. Inadequate sleep duration is related to increased risk of developing obesity and weight gain. Sleep deprivation may increase your appetite and cause you to eat more calories,particularly you tend to eat more foods high in sugar and fat.
Sleep is essential for various aspects of brain function. Sleep deprivation directly affects concentration, cognition, performance and productivity. In a study on worn out physicians witty sleep deprivation were found to report clinically significant medical errors. Similarly getting enough sleep can improve academic performance in children, adolescents, and young adults. Adequate quality sleep has been shown to enhance problem-solving skills and memory performance in both children and adults. Good sleep can boost problem-solving skills and memory. In contrast, poor sleep has been shown to compromise brain function and decision-making skills.
Adequate and quality sleep has shown to improve athletic performance. Several studies have concluded that adequate sleep can improve fine motor skills, reaction time, muscular power, muscular endurance, and problem-solving skills.So, getting required sleep may be just what you need to take your performance to the next level.
Inadequate sleep duration and low sleep quality may increase your risk of developing heart disease. It was found that sleeping less than 7 hours per day resulted in a 13% increased risk of death from heart disease. Additionally short sleep leads to increase the risk of high blood pressure, mainly in those having obstructive sleep apnea.Excessive and insufficient sleep both increases the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure .
Short sleep is associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, which is when your body cannot use the hormone insulin properly.It’sbelieved that less sleep can cause physiological changes like, increased inflammation, decreased insulin sensitivity and hormone changes. Behavioral changes are also seen such as poor decision-making and greater appetite all of which increases the risk of diabetes.Sleep deprivation is also related to higher risk of developing heart disease, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. These factors are also risk factors for diabetes.
Mental health concerns, such as depression, are strongly linked to poor sleep quality and sleeping disorders. It is seen that people who have depression and anxiety are more prone to report poor sleep scores when compared to those without anxiety and depression . In other studies, people having sleeping disorders like insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea have also reported higher rates of depression than those without.If you are having sleeping trouble, your mental health also worsens, it’s important to seek healthcare professionals.
Lack of sleep has been shown to impair immune function. Individuals getting sleep less than 5 hours were seen to be more prone to cold. Also adequate sleep improves body’s antibody response to vaccines. Getting at least good quality sleep of 7 hours can improve your immune function and help fight the common cold.
Poor sleep can highly influence inflammation in the body. Sleep plays a pivotal role in the regulation of our central nervous system.Specifically, it’s involved in the stress-response systems and sleep loss from disturbed sleep, is known to activate inflammatory signaling pathways and lead to higher levels of inflammation markers such as interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein.With time, this can increase your risk of developing chronic conditions like depression, Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease.
Sleep directly affects emotions and social interactions as inadequate sleep decreases the ability to regulate emotions and appropriate social interaction .When tired we lose control over our emotional outburst and behavior in front of others. Sleep is necessary to improve your relationships with others and help you in more social interaction.
Sleep deprivation can hinder your judgment and coordination, increasing your risk of accidents. Getting enough sleep can help you stay alert and focused, reducing your risk of accidents.
Not getting enough sleep can be dangerous for yourself and others.Sleep deprivation can hinder your judgment and coordination, increasing your risk of accidents.When we’re tired, our ability to focus on tasks, reflexes, and reaction times decreases. In fact, being severely sleep-deprived is comparable to having consumed excess alcohol and increases the chances of having more accidents .Lack of sleep leads to the increased risks associated with driving, lack of sleep may also increase the risk of workplace injury and errors.
Getting proper sleep is important for everyone’s safety.It can greatly affect your ability to make critical decisions.Quality sleep allows you to be energetic and alert. Establish a regular sleep schedule and stick to it as much as possible, even on weekends.You can create a relaxing bedtime routine with quiet ,dark and cool environment .You should avoid caffeine before bed and also make schedule as such that any strenuous activity should not be too close to bedtime.
Meet a doctors if you are facing trouble sleeping. While sleeping, the body is continuously working to restore hormonal balance, repairs itself, and keeps the immune and circulatory systems functioning proper. Getting adequate sleep (7-9 hrs ) keeps your heart healthy, reduces stress, and helps in maintaining blood sugar. It also prevents inflammation, reduces stress , helps in weight management and is necessary for memory formation and clear thinking.
Quality sleep makes you energetic and alert. It allows you to do all the things you enjoy.Along with nutrition and exercise, taking care of your sleep is one of the building blocks of health.Just like you prioritize your diet and physical activity, it’s time to give sleep the attention it deserves.
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