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Maybe you\u2019re suffering from a serious sleep disorder, or maybe you\u2019re a new parent with a baby that keeps crying during the night. Whatever the reason, interrupted sleep can leave you feeling tired the next morning. Unfortunately, that\u2019s not the worst that can happen, especially if it\u2019s an issue that lasts for weeks. Here are 5 ways your physical and mental can be affected if you don\u2019t catch enough z\u2019s.<\/p>\n
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Everyone knows that being tired can leave you feeling irritable, but you might be surprised to learn that, according to a study published in the journal Sleep<\/em>, interrupted sleep can actually be worse for your mood than not getting any sleep at all. Over time, these persistent negative feelings can lead to depression.<\/p>\n Sleep is a cycle, and your body needs to complete it to get the full benefits of a good night\u2019s rest. If you keep waking up, you\u2019ll never reach the later stages of the cycle, and your cognitive abilities and attention span will start to suffer. This can be very bad for your career by affecting your everyday job performance. It can also be dangerous; your reaction time will be reduced, which makes it much more likely you\u2019ll have an accident while driving.<\/p>\n The sleep cycle is an important component of the learning process; the later stages are the mind\u2019s chance to create long-term memories. As such, patients who can\u2019t sleep through the night will have a harder time learning new skills and making memories that will stick. Remember that it\u2019s not the amount of sleep that\u2019s important, it\u2019s whether the sleep cycle was allowed to complete itself; getting 6 hours of sleep, for example, won\u2019t be beneficial for your memory if you kept waking up every 30 minutes.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been suggested by many researchers that Alzheimer\u2019s disease might be caused by the buildup of amyloid proteins in the brain. (It\u2019s thought that the proteins might damage the cells.) While a causal relationship hasn\u2019t been completely proven yet, it has been found that amyloid levels tend to increase when sleep is regularly interrupted.<\/p>\n A lack of sleep can create all sorts of health issues. It can put you at a higher risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. It can also change your hormones and cause you to overeat, leading to obesity. Finally, in rare circumstances \u2013 such as when caused by uncommon genetic disorders like fatal familial insomnia \u2013 interrupted sleep can actually cause death.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re tired of not getting the high-quality sleep you deserve, make an appointment with your sleep dentist right away. They\u2019ll help determine whether you\u2019re suffering from a disorder such as sleep apnea and can recommend a treatment that\u2019ll make it easier for your body to keep snoozing until morning!<\/p>\n2. Decreased Mental Capabilities<\/h2>\n
3. Memory Problems<\/h2>\n
4. Protein Buildup in the Brain<\/h2>\n
5. Other Health Problems<\/h2>\n
About the Author<\/h3>\n