You’re more likely to get sick
If you feel like you always come down with a cold when you sleep less, it’s not just in your head. “Studies have demonstrated that a lack of sleep can impair specific parts of the body’s own immune system and its response to infections,” Dr Shah says. So, not getting enough sleep can increase the chance that exposure to a cold virus will result in you actually getting sick. In addition, vaccines’ effectiveness could be compromised. “Lack of sleep decreases the chance that immunisations will be effective in preventing such diseases as hepatitis B,” Dr Bazil says. “And by inference, other aspects of the immune system are almost certainly affected, contributing to the risk of diseases including cancer.”
Learn 9 innocent habits that might be ruining your immune system.
You have no energy for exercise
Skimping on sleep will almost definitely lead to less motivation for working out. “You’re going to exercise less if you’re constantly tired,” Dr Bazil says. And if you do exercise, your athletic performance may suffer due to a slower reaction time and less energy. Less exercise means also more weight gain and poorer overall health.
These 6 sleep routine tweaks will help transform your health.
Sleepiness leads to more sleepiness
There’s a myth you can “get used to” sleeping less – in fact, functioning on a short amount of sleep is considered by some to be a badge of honour. But Dr Bazil says this is “absolutely not” the case. “On the contrary, there is considerable evidence that ‘sleep debt’ accumulates with continued sleep deprivation, resulting in further deterioration in alertness, concentration, and memory function,” he says.
Dr Shah says this sleep debt just makes you feel sleepier and sleepier during the day, and can persist even after a night of “catch up” sleep. And you know that feeling of confusion when you wake up from a deep sleep? Dr Bazil says it’s called “sleep drunkenness,” and it’s more likely among people who are sleep deprived, as the body tries to recoup by spending more time in that deep state.
In order to get better sleep, our experts recommend going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, limiting caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime, exercising earlier in the day, getting 15 minutes of sunlight to set your body clock, dimming the lights in the evening, avoiding screen time before bed, and keeping your bedroom dark and cool.
These are the 11 bad health habits that doctors need you to stop doing asap.
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Source: RD.com
