Days become longer and more demanding, problems offer no respite, and responsibilities multiply. Who can sleep under these conditions? Lack of sleep is virtually an epidemic, and despite a long list of medications at our disposal, the key lies in changing habits, which is often the hardest part. So what exactly happens to the body when Morpheus betrays us? In two words: everything.
Losing sleep is one of the worst things that can happen to us. From a certain perspective, the world stops being the same. Everything takes more effort, everything is enjoyed less, and the only thing with the potential to correct that situation is resting your head on the pillow... but it's useless if all you get are hours staring at the ceiling.
The alternatives are numerous, ranging from over-the-counter medications to a couple of hours at the gym. Of course, these solutions aren't compatible with every case, but the effects of not sleeping definitely have a very complex general profile, with negative consequences from every angle.
What happens to your body when you can't sleep
- Neuroscience and psychology professor Matthew Walker of the University of California (Berkeley) explains that first, insomnia blocks the ability to form new memories. In simple terms, information bounces without being processed, and we forget things.
- Not sleeping also increases production of the toxic protein beta-amyloid, whose accumulation equates to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's.
- Another aspect that worries men especially is that lack of sleep annihilates sexual desire.
- Testosterone levels become very similar to those of a person ten years older, and this distortion appears with just two or three hours less sleep per day.
The immune system is also compromised. Someone who sleeps seven hours a day runs a three times greater risk of catching a cold than a person with eight hours of sleep, but that's not all: the number of so-called "natural killer cells" is reduced by 70 percent, and this is so serious that the World Health Organization declared night work shifts as "probable carcinogens."
Finally, the cardiovascular system fails to fully "reset," leading to higher blood pressure and a 200 percent extra risk of heart attacks and other similar attacks. In fact, when the switch to daylight saving time occurs and we all lose an hour of sleep, the risk of heart attacks rises by 24 percent.
In summary: 16 hours of activity, 8 hours of sleep. The body needs it.
