Having enough sleep is vital for everyday life, and missing on those precious hours of rest can result in a lot of problems that can change your life for the worse. Sleep deprivation is a dangerous thing, and it’s essential to know the risks so that you don’t feel too confident about all those late nights and times you skip on that much-needed slumber. Here are some of the biggest dangers that come from a lack of sleep.
Car accidents
Ask any truck accident attorney, and they’ll tell you that some of the most common causes of vehicular accidents come from a driver that did not get an adequate number of sleep hours. Sleepily driving makes you less focused and alert, and if you’re deprived, you could even fall asleep on the wheel without realizing it. Studies and statistics have revealed that drivers with less than four hours of sleep are 15 times more likely to crash their car. It’s akin to driving while being 1.5 times over the limit of intoxication.
Injuries
There’s a reason you shouldn’t operate any machinery when you have no sleep in your system. You won’t have good control over your motor skills, and the level of grogginess you have makes you that much more prone to slipping up and sustaining a major injury. Even if you plan only to go about your day, you put yourself at a higher risk for accidentally hitting your head, crossing the street too soon, or cutting yourself when preparing food. There are many more avoidable accidents if you just had enough rest.
Heart Disease
Adults who regularly sleep less than seven hours a day are more likely to report high blood pressure and developing cardiac problems. Why does lack of sleep lead to heart disease and the risk of a heart attack? It’s because the body needs enough hours to regulate your pressure and heart rate, and without enough time, your heart is working at a higher rate than it should for a longer amount of time.
Stroke
Short sleep times and interrupted sleep eventually leads to the body producing chemicals that put you at a higher risk of getting a stroke as opposed to people who get enough hours in every night. Ironically, people who get a stroke are also more likely to have trouble with sleep after the fact. So, taper down this possibility by regulating your sleep pattern and allowing your body to get into a deep sleep.
Diabetes
Studies have shown a connection between diabetes and not having enough sleep. The body tends to enter a pre-diabetic state, which is then exacerbated when we end up craving sugary treats and other energy boosters that, yes, cause diabetes. How does this happen? The body produces less insulin from eating when you chronically lack sleep. Plus, this risk factor also comes along with the tendency to gain more weight.
If this isn’t enough to sway you from pulling an all-nighter, then see how your body and mind feel after a week of good sleep. You’ll never want to feel the difference again.
