Is insomnia and sleep deprivation causing you to be sick?
You are mistaken if you believe the only sleep deprivation effects are yawning and a bit of lethargy. Lack of sleep, especially if a chronic problem, can bring on serious physical and emotional illness. The effects can be cumulative, growing worse as the problem fails to resolve. Every bodily system may be adversely affected by being deprived consistently of enough rest. Daily activities become impaired as the body and mind begin to fall apart.
Chronic sleep deprivation seriously affects the mind and body coordination. The individual feels weak, activities as simple as walking seem like too much to do. They may feel dizziness. The immune system becomes compromised. They may feel feverish and develop symptoms similar to a case of the flu.
Adequate sleep enables the human brain to rest, reorganize and get ready for the next day. Insufficient sleep does not allow the mind to process the information received each day. Mental functions slow down, thoughts become confused and vague. Severe deprivation is known to induce hallucinations, with people seeing activities or objects that do not exist.
Only someone who has experienced severe sleep problems can describe how it feels, as it affects every part of their mind and body. Medical researchers can only describe the physiology of what happens. The body must do something to cope with the lack of healing rest. In order to continue functioning despite not getting needed rest, it slows its processes. It may attempt at first to function as if it received enough rest as if to meet an emergency situation. The resulting additional physical and mental stresses, if not relieved, will exacerbate the stress on the body and worsen the weakening effects of the deprivation. Chronic deprivation can cause long term problems, both physical and mental. The seriousness of symptoms varies between individuals but overall, anyone with sleep deprivation is going to suffer symptoms that will grow if it continues.
If you believe you are suffering from lack of sleep, and you may be suffering any of these symptoms as a consequence, you require medical intervention. For the sake of your health, see your doctor and get a referral to a qualified sleep analyst for treatment. Find out more about baby insomnia or insomnia problem.
If you find yourself tossing and turning all night long and not sleeping as well as you should then it may be time to upgrade your mattress.
Visit the Mad Progress Bedroom section for additional tips and ideas on bedding and matresses.
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