Psychology Online

Consequences of lack of sleep

introduction

A pronounced lack of sleep can varied physical consequences entail. You can social and psychological aspects one hand, as well biological and physical aspects on the other hand, differentiate them Also at Babies and Children lack of sleep can lead to too serious consequences to lead.

Physical and psychological consequences of lack of sleep

lack of sleep Obviously leads first of all to fatiguewhich can vary depending on the severity of the lack of sleep. This fatigue often leads to Problems in everyday life and at work, especially if it not only occurs occasionally but becomes the norm. That is the case with the chronic Agility. Dealing with colleagues or superiors, as well as with friends and family members, is made more difficult by the lack of sleep resulting from the reduced ability to concentrate and perform. In addition, the permanent fatigue limits social activities increasingly one. All of these social difficulties affect the Mood of those affected often to an enormous extent. So in the long run can even depressions develop. The depressed mood brings many sufferers to Think and Despair about their situation, which often makes falling asleep and staying asleep even more difficult. This is how a Cyclewho usually only with targeted therapeutic measures, how Sleep medication, can be broken.

To the physical-biological consequences from lack of sleep belong mainly Metabolism disorders. These are probably triggered by a increased levels of cortisone in the blood. Cortisone is also called Stress hormone denotes and leads to a increased blood sugaras it is otherwise with Diabetics the case is. In addition, there are often disruptions in the household Thyroid hormoneswhat diverse symptoms like increased blood pressure or Racing heart can cause. Furthermore it could be observed that a connection between Lack of sleep and weight gain or obesity consists. This is because in those affected the blood levels increase Leptin are clearly lowered. That is a protein found in the brain Satiety conveyed. In addition to the hormonal effects, lack of sleep also has a negative effect on the skin: it leads to a stronger one Drooping of the eyelids, darker circles under the eyes and favors the Formation of wrinkles. Another possible consequence of a lack of sleep is the development of a so-called Restless Legs Syndrome: This is a disease caused by sensory disturbances and a strong restlessness is marked in the legs.

Frequently, those affected try to use a high consumption of Coffee or energy drinks - in more dramatic cases even with illegal stimulants - To a certain extent "to stay afloat" throughout the day. However, if these funds are administered too late in the evening, this in turn can increase Difficulty falling asleep lead and thus increase the lack of sleep even more. This is because the Half-life of caffeine in the blood is around 3-4 hours. This means that 3-4 hours after the intake, half of the caffeine is still in the blood! This means that if someone has a cup of coffee at 4 p.m., a quarter of the caffeine from this cup will still be in the blood at 11 p.m. This makes it clear why it is advisable to use the Significantly reduce coffee consumption from the early afternoon or to forego coffee altogether.

Lack of sleep due to stress

Stress is closely related to lack of sleep. Either stress can be the trigger for a lack of sleep, or the complication resulting from a lack of sleep (see also: Consequences of stress). Regardless of which of the two issues triggered the other, a circulatory mechanism can quickly develop in which lack of sleep and stress make each other worse. In addition, the media exposure in the form of television, internet and mobile phones, which is often permanent nowadays, also carries a certain stress factor.

The first complications of a lack of sleep caused by stress include a loss of concentration and mental performance. Especially in professional life, this often leads to difficulties with customers, colleagues or superiors and thus in turn to psychological stress. This psychological stress can in turn be transferred to further social life in family and friends and thus ultimately determine the entire life of the person concerned.

If you are deprived of sleep due to stress, getting enough exercise can help make it easier to fall asleep.

Due to the mutual influence from stress and lack of sleep it is crucial to this Circulatory mechanism to break through. It can be helpful if the person concerned first thinks about the area of life in which lack of sleep and stress are causing most serious consequences entail. In this way, suitable measures can be discussed in a more targeted manner, and it often helps a lot to be consistent and ruthless deal with the problems. That too Addressing the complaints with friends and family is often an important step towards improving the situation. They can often only inadequately interpret the reasons behind the symptoms of lack of sleep and may therefore tend to Misinterpretation of behavior. For example, a spouse of an affected person might think that their partner has lost interest in them or something similar.

Another great way to have a positive impact on the Complaint complex from lack of sleep and stress Sports It can help to “clear your head” in the truest sense of the word, as it can, on the one hand, briefly get those affected out of their lethargy and tiredness and, on the other hand, trigger sleep through physical exhaustion.

Please also read our article on this Symptoms of stress.

Lack of sleep in children

Lack of sleep in children is to be classified as problematic precisely because a healthy and adequate sleep for the growth and diverse development processes in children are essential. It expresses itself in children through symptoms similar to adults. The Poor concentration causes problems at school, while permanent fatigue can impair social contacts. Threatening will sleep deprivation in children when due to fatigue Road traffic hazards, for example on the way to school, are no longer noticed.

In addition, it was found that abnormal behaviors such as Hyperactivity syndromes or Social behavior disorders occur frequently. There was also a clear connection between Lack of sleep and obesity in children worked out.

But what exactly is long enough and what is not enough? There is no general answer to this question because every child has different needs. Nevertheless, some approximate guidelines can be formulated: So should Babies in the first year of life at least 13 hours Get sleep while for Kindergarten children 11-12 hours are to be regarded as appropriate. Elementary school children turn should be about 10 hours come and Children and young people between 11 and 15 years to around 9 hours. For parents of school children, it is a good idea to observe exactly how long the child sleeps on the weekend in order to determine the child's natural need for sleep. This information then provides an orientation for the optimal bedtime time for the child during the week.

Specially suffers the child Difficulty falling asleep, it is a sensible measure to give the child to Sports or. physical exercise generally encourage. More and more often, however, there are already signs in children depressive episodesthat the lack of sleep in particular by a Obstruction to falling asleep cause. In these cases the help of a Child and adolescent psychologists to be entitled to.

You might also be interested in: Sleepwalking

Consequences of acute and chronic lack of sleep

If you look at the consequences of lack of sleep, so can acute from chronic delimit.

Acute consequences occur in the short term, i.e. when an affected person over one or more days gets too little sleep away. The consequences that result from this lack of sleep are above all pronounced fatigue as well as ERestrictions in concentration and other mental abilities. A very important, because dangerous, aspect of acute sleep deprivation is the so-called Microsleep. The affected person “nods off” for several seconds, which is obvious unforgivable in traffic is. A microsleep can, contrary to the widespread idea of this phenomenon, even with open eyes respectively. The following statistics make it clear how dangerous this can be: According to current studies, up to 25% of traffic accidents result from the fatigue of one of the accident participants.

The chronic consequences lack of sleep are more likely to consist of metabolic (i.e. concerning the metabolism) or more social or psychological Nature. This includes an impairment of the sugar metabolism, which in one increased sugar levels in the blood and thus in a metabolic situation similar to that of diabetics. In addition, those affected by lack of sleep tend to be significantly more likely to Obesity training, which further strains the sugar metabolism. Another aspect of the metabolic effects of a lack of sleep is that Increase in blood pressure. Since increased Blood pressure, increased blood sugar levels and Obesity to the Main risk factors for diseases of the cardiovascular system sleep deprivation are at a significantly increased risk of such events as e.g. one Heart attack or stroke exposed.

In addition to the processes affecting the metabolism, chronic lack of sleep often leads to one Impairment of social life. Colleagues and supervisors are dissatisfied with the work of the person concerned, and at the same time the lack of sleep and the resulting from it reduces permanent fatigue for many of those affected, the non-professional activities. So, to put it mildly, the person affected finds himself in a situation in which he needs a work-life balance more urgently than usual, but can also muster less motivation than usual.

When delimiting the chronic from the acute consequences However, one should be aware of a lack of sleep that chronic lack of sleep also includes the symptoms of acute lack of sleep and therefore the same potential dangers in traffic holds!