I can’t even begin to tell you how many countless nights I spent as a child with my mother scolding me to death for my lack of sleep. I never took her seriously. When I went to college, I made the most of my mother’s absence to sleep how and when I wanted. Sleeping was never on my agenda, I just shot up a high dose of caffeine and headed to work to study. Not surprisingly, after college, this same attitude toward sleep continued. The attitude was, the harder and longer you worked, the more productive you were. “You can sleep as long as you want when you’re dead, there’s no need to waste time sleeping now.”
Nobody likes to find out that they are being seriously affected by the side effects of lack of sleep. This can also be known as sleep deprivation. Many people even accept this serious problem as if it were a normal part of life. However, there are serious physical effects of living day to day with insufficient sleep. What are the dangerous effects, you ask? let’s see these lack of sleep side effects.
Most likely, you are reading this article because you are suffering from the side effects of sleep deprivation or are afraid of having these symptoms in the future. Some things on this list of side effects are already affecting you. But as sleep deprivation continues or worsens, so do the symptoms. Some of these side effects that you don’t have, you may have over time.
Side Effects of Lack of Sleep You Should Know About
One of the more immediate side effects you’ll notice, if you haven’t already, is impaired alertness. Honestly, it’s like being drunk. According to the National Sleep Foundation, drowsy driving accidents cause 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in property damage and lost productivity each year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 1 million crashes are caused by inattention each year. Two of the biggest risk factors for inattentive driving are lack of sleep and fatigue. Sleep-deprived drivers don’t just put themselves at risk by getting behind the wheel; they are putting their passengers and other drivers at risk. They are also a threat to pedestrians.
People who drive for a living are at even higher risk of having an accident while driving. Approximately 47 percent of all truck drivers report that they have fallen asleep at the wheel at least once during their driving career.
Now here is a list of even more side effects of sleep deprivation:
1) Pure exhaustion
This isn’t the random “it’s been a long day” kind of tiredness. This is a complete and utter feeling of exhaustion, which means you don’t want to do anything at all all day, forever. It’s like you can fall asleep forever.
No matter how insignificant the task may seem (walking to the kitchen to eat, getting the mail, making a copy at work, picking up the phone, or even getting up to go to the bathroom), you just don’t want to do it and feel exhausted and sleepier even thinking of doing it. Finding a rock to crawl on would be great, but that would mean you would have to crawl, which is another activity you just don’t want to do.
Quick note: This is the most common physical effect of sleep deprivation and insomnia, and it’s usually one of the first, if not the FIRST, to hit. You are well aware of how tired you usually feel after a long day, so this type of SUPER TIRED should be pretty easy to spot.
2) Impaired coordination
It’s one thing to have poor hand-eye coordination or even slower-than-normal reaction time, but this is a level of awkwardness you’ve never felt before. It’s like you’ve been injected with painkillers and now you’re operating in slow motion. It’s like you’re a lazy zombie.
Note: This can get dangerous. If your job requires a high level of attention and split-second decision making, then you won’t be a much-appreciated asset for long. Even if you have a fairly easy and “lazy” job, you still have to drive to get there, right? How easily do you think you will be able to drive with such impaired motor skills? Your chances of having an accident have increased exponentially.
3) Blurred view/”Off”
No, he is not blind, but he may have difficulty seeing things. It’s not unusual to experience a bit of confusion from time to time when you’re seriously sleep deprived. However, if you experience this effect of insomnia and lack of sleep IN ADDITION to any other effects, you will be almost unable to do anything without a disability.
4) General discomfort
You won’t feel any pain or anything, you’ll just feel completely uncomfortable. And it doesn’t matter if you’re in the world’s softest pajamas lying on the world’s fluffiest bed, you’ll still feel unrelaxed and, for lack of a better word, “gross.” You just don’t feel very fresh or in a good mood.
5) Many health problems
Serious lack of sleep can and WILL lead to future health problems. How is that? As a result of lack of sleep, your immune system will be much weaker. Your body needs rest to function properly and to avoid the infections that attack your body on a daily basis. If you suffer from severe sleep deprivation and insomnia, well, it’s safe to say that you’re not getting that vital break and you’re definitely sleep deprived. You will get sick easily and recover much slower than normal.
People who continue to not get enough sleep also increase their chances of heart disease and stroke as a result of not allowing their arteries and organs to recover. Other health side effects of sleep deprivation are weight gain from lack of sleep. With decreased sleep, so is the body’s ability to metabolize sugar, turning it into fat.
These are the most dangerous and VERY REAL physical effects of sleep deprivation. While not all of them will show up at the first sign of sleep deprivation, you can bet they will if the insomnia continues. Don’t let this happen!
It may be hard to believe that something as simple as lack of sleep can affect you physically and emotionally, but it does take a toll on you and the consequences can be negative for your well-being. Take steps right away to get the rest you need so you can avoid these life-DESTROYING physical side effects of sleep deprivation. Don’t let your body go without sleep.
