In the fast paced world we live in, we tend to disregard the importance of sleep and how much sleep we are getting as well. The consequences of sleep deprivation is more than just dozing off in class. Sleep deprivation can cause long term effects such as
- Memory Loss- When you are sleeping your brain essentially retains and processing all information you learned within that day. If you aren’t giving your brains that chance to cool down, you’re overworking your neurons and won’t function properly in the future which could lead to memory loss
- Shorten lifespan- Due to a your body not being able to reenergize for long periods of time, your body is constantly overworking itself which eventually will cause the body to weaken.
- Leads to health issues- Sleep deprivation can leave into massive weight loss which is due to loss of appetite. It can also lead to anemia, which left untreated can lead to needing a blood transfusion.
- Mood swings- We all get cranky when we are tired, but sleep deprivation can led to significant changed in hormones, which contributes to mood swings
Although there are more long term effects, those are just the main 4. We need to prioritize ourselves and our future health by monitoring our sleep schedule. We are suppose to get an average of 6-9 hours of sleep. Sleep deprivation is seen as not a big deal but it affects specific groups of people and cause a problem in the future.
