Most people know that the recommended amount of sleep an adult needs is seven to nine hours in a night. Do you get that amount on a consistent basis? If your answer is "no" then you are more than likely sleep deprived, which maybe you shrug off and just think "Oh well, I am just tired," but there are some scary effects of sleep deprivation on our mental, physical, and emotional well-being. I have outlined some that I have found to be the most eye-opening for me and hope that you can use these facts to help motivate you to get more sleep. Â
Mental Effects:
Inability to think clearlyÂ
Difficult to form, keep, and recall both long and short term memoriesÂ
Increased anxietyÂ
Higher risk of depression
Trouble with problem-solving and with concentrationÂ
Physical Effects:
Slowed reaction times
Poor driving skills- it has been found that those sleep deprived are worse at driving than those intoxicated.Â
Additional risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes
Weakened immune system
Poor balance
Emotional Effects:
Irritable and moody
Problems with relationships
Quick-temperedÂ
Overly emotional
For me, while researching this, the most eye-opening thing was the impaired driving. It is one thing to have sleep deprivation only effect me, but when I am driving with other little lives in the car it becomes much more important. As a parent, I want to keep my children safe and would never even give a second thought to driving while intoxicated with my kids in the car but if I am just as bad or worse while being sleep deprived, that is a very motivational reason to fix what is keeping me awake. According to the National Department of Transportation, drowsy driving causes 1,500 deaths and 40,000 nonfatal injuries each year. Â
If you are not sure why you are sleep deprived, talk to a doctor and see what they can recommend to help you! If it happens to be what you sleep on (i.e. pillow, mattress), we will gladly help you find something that will help!
Sources:
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/sleep/conditioninfo/sleep-deprivation
https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body