Do you know lack of sleep can instigate severe illness?

In this world full of hustle and bustle everyone is busy climbing the ladder of success, and they often compromise their sleep to do so. But do you know that by reducing the sleeping hour you are actually inviting various diseases to attack our body? Here is why and what you should know.

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So, first of all, what we have to know is how sleep helps in boosting or in working our immune system? When we sleep, our body releases proteins called cytokines (which help in cell signaling)[Besedovsky L et al., 2012]. These cytokines create an immune response and target various infections and inflammations.

While sleeping our body also produces T-cells, which play an important and critical role in our body’s immune response to various infectious diseases.

Why do we need sleep?

             Fig:- https://negativespace.co/computer-man-stressed-work/

Sleep is a very essential function that allows our body and mind to refresh. Without enough sleep, our body can't function properly and we often fail to concentrate and work properly. An adult human being requires 7 to 9 hours of sleep however, children and teenagers need more sleep compared to adults[Chaput JP, et al.,2018]. If we fail to get enough sleep or enough quality sleep then it increases the risk for heart and respiratory problems. It also affects our metabolism and the ability to focus on tasks.

What is the science behind sleep?

We have an internal body clock that controls our body’s sleep cycle[Potter GD, et al,2016] by regulating when we feel tired and should go to bed or when we are refreshed and alert. After getting quality sleep we will feel refreshed but eventually, we will become tired throughout the day. This sleeping and waking up process of our body is linked with adenosine (an organic compound released from the brain). The level of adenosine increases throughout the day as we become more tired and then our body breaks down this compound during sleep.

What will happen if we reduce our sleeping hours?

If we sleep less than 6-7 hours a day it will invite several health problems, and lead to a weak immune system

Sleep deprivation weakens our immune system by-

·    Production of less WBC:- Decrease in sleeping hours decreases the amount of White Blood Cells (WBC) which helps in fighting various infections in our body

· Production of fewer Cytokines:-Sleep deprivation affects the production of cytokines. Cytokines are chemical messengers and are essential for suppressing infection and inflammation.

·  Production of less amount of melatonin:-  Melatonin is a sleep-promoting hormone. This hormone helps us to fight stress. Low Melatonin levels can increase the risk of cancer.

Getting quality sleep is very important for our physical and mental health.

How to get quality sleep?

Here are some tips to get a sound sleep

1. Maintain a timetable:- Every night we should go to bed around the same time and wake up at the same time every morning.

2. Exercise in the daytime:- Exercising is the best way to improve our sleeping habits as well as our health but performing it at night may cause sleep problems, cause when we exercise, our body secrets epinephrine and adrenaline hormones. These hormones have a stimulatory effect and cause sleep deprivation.

3. Stop consuming caffeine before going to bed:- Caffeine is useful in increasing energy, focus, and concentration but if we consume it before going to bed it will stimulate our nervous system.

4. Stop consuming alcohol:- Alcohol can cause or increase the problems such as disrupted sleep, snoring, insomnia

It also affects melatonin production which plays an important role in our sleep.

5. Get a comfortable bed and pillow:- Getting a comfortable bed and below is very much important for our sleep. Uncomfortable bedding can lead to neck pain or/and lower back pain

So, upgrading our bedding is very important to get quality sleep or can solve sleeping problems.

What is sleep deprivation?

The condition that occurs when we don't get enough sleep is Called Sleep deprivation. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported that about 1 in 3 adults don't get enough rest or sleep every day. Sleep deficiency can affect our physical and mental health [Hanson JA & Huecker MR Updated 2022]

What are the reasons for sleep deprivation?

Sleep deprivation occurs for Several reasons –

1. Sleep disorder - People who have insomnia, Sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless legs syndrome often get less sleep.

2. Illness - Sleep deprivation can occur, for those who suffer from Depression, Chronic Pain, Schizophrenia, Cancer, and Alzheimer's disease.

3. Aging:- Aging can also be a reason for Sleep deprivation, People who are older than 65 often have trouble Sleeping because of health Problems or the medicine they are taking.

4. Other factors:- Stress, Change in schedule, uncomfortable environment or bed arrangement, and unavoidable noises can also disrupt our Sleep.

Effects of sleep deprivation

People who suffer from Sleep Deprivation may experience

Early symptoms:-

     1)  Fatigue 

     2) mood changes 

     3) irritability 

     4) lack of concentration 

     5)Difficulty in remembering 

     6) less Physical Strength 

     7) Less ability to fight off infections.

 

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Sleep deprivation over time may include:-

   1)   Over time sleep deprivation can cause an increased risk for depression and mental illness.

   2)  Increased risk of an asthma attack and stroke.

   3)  Increase risk of car accidents and several sleep disorders such as insomnia sleep apnea and narcolepsy.

   4)  Weakened immune systems.

   5)  Hallucinations.

 

Conclusion:-

So be aware if you are not getting enough sleep and try to get quality sleep to be healthy.

Creating a timetable and maintaining it can reduce sleep disturbances and gradually improve our sleep quality.

Reference 

1.  Besedovsky L, Lange T, Born J. Sleep and immune function. Pflugers Arch. 2012 Jan;463(1):121-37. DOI: 10.1007/s00424-011-1044-0. Epub 2011 Nov 10. PMID: 22071480; PMCID: PMC3256323.
2.  Chaput JP, Dutil C, Sampasa-Kanyinga H. Sleeping hours: what is the ideal number, and how does age impact this? Nat Sci Sleep. 2018 Nov 27;10:421-430. DOI: 10.2147/NSS.S163071. PMID: 30568521; PMCID: PMC6267703
3.  Potter GD, Skene DJ, Arendt J, Cade JE, Grant PJ, Hardie LJ. Circadian Rhythm and Sleep Disruption: Causes, Metabolic Consequences, and Countermeasures. Endocr Rev. 2016 Dec;37(6):584-608. DOI: 10.1210/er.2016-1083. Epub 2016 Oct 20. PMID: 27763782; PMCID: PMC5142605.
4. 4.      Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research; Colten HR, Altevogt BM, editors. Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2006. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19960/ DOI: 10.17226/11617
5. Yazdi Z, Loukzadeh Z, Moghaddam P, Jalilolghadr S. Sleep Hygiene Practices and Their Relation to Sleep Quality in Medical Students of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. J Caring Sci. 2016 Jun 1;5(2):153-60. DOI: 10.15171/jcs.2016.016. PMID: 27354979; PMCID: PMC4923839
6. Hanson JA, Huecker MR. Sleep Deprivation. [Updated 2022 Mar 7]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547676/
7.  Medic G, Wille M, Hemels ME. Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption. Nat Sci Sleep. 2017 May 19;9:151-161. DOI: 10.2147/NSS.S134864. PMID: 28579842; PMCID: PMC5449130.
8.  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Effects_of_sleep_deprivation.svg
9. Medically reviewed by Raj Dasgupta, MD — Written by Kathleen Davis, FNP on July 23, 2020
10.  Medically reviewed by Stacy Sampson, D.O. — Written by Stephanie Watson and Kristeen Cherney — Updated on December 15, 2021
11. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Man_Sleeping_in_Bed_Cartoon_Vector.svg
12. https://negativespace.co/computer-man-stressed-work/