Sleep deprivation has received a lot of attention from health officials and researchers in recent years, and rightly so. The World Health Organization has identified sleep deprivation as a serious public health problem, affecting physical health, cognitive performance, and mental health in a variety of ways.
Recovering from sleep deprivation isn’t as easy as you might think, according to recent findings from researchers at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. A few days of catching up on sleep doesn’t seem to reduce the measurable effects of insufficient sleep.
What does sleep deprivation do to the body
The demanding lifestyles, struggling to maintain work and private lives and maybe some rest now and then. This is how many of us struggle through the days, on our way to the day off where we can finally catch up on some sleep.
The effect of sleep deprivation is much greater than feeling tired and listless. Systematically building up a sleep deficit has far-reaching consequences. Symptoms of sleep deprivation include difficulty concentrating, memory problems, a weakened immune system and less physical strength.
People who chronically do not get enough sleep have a higher risk of developing mental illnesses and disorders, including depression, and an increased risk of car accidents and work accidents. A higher risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sexual dysfunction and balance problems are also associated with chronic sleep deprivation.
Recovering from sleep deprivation
This is not as easy as it may seem at first glance. A recent study has shown just how difficult it really is.
The subjects who participated in the study slept approximately 30 percent less each night for a period of 10 days. This period of 10 days was followed by a recovery period of 7 days. Even after this week, a very measurable difference could still be made from the period of sleep deprivation in the participants. Considering how “normal” it is to sleep one or two hours less for the average mortal, the impact of this study is enormous.
Improve your sleep with Propeaq
Sleep is essential for good health, that much should be clear after reading this article. But how do you actually improve your sleep?
Adjust your rhythm for example for a better sleep. The rhythm and the consecutive time blocks with which we do or do not perceive blue light is the core for good sleep. This rhythm can be adjusted by applying 30 minutes of blue light (daylight) in the morning and filtering blue light in the evening, 30 to 45 minutes before going to sleep. Of course there can be other reasons for a bad sleep.
Source: www.chronobiology.com
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