Adverse Effects of Sleep Disruption

Adverse Effects of Sleep Disruption

Sleep is a state in the body where physical activity reduces, mental exercise decreases, and there is some level of unconsciousness. Additionally, sensory and muscle activity inactivates at some point. Lack of sleep interferes with the normal functioning of the body systems. It affects memory, the immune, cardiovascular, and endocrine systems, increasing the risk for diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease (Holmer et al., 2021).

Insufficient sleep affects both long-term and short-term memory because, during sleep, the body can connect and help process information with the brain. Memory distorts if the brain does not get enough rest to process. It also causes heart disease by elevating blood pressure for a more extended period due to the alteration of aldosterone, a hormone that controls blood pressure. Normal sleep lowers blood pressure; however, sleep deprivation causes high blood pressure, which raises the risk of stroke. Sleep deprivation also increases the risk of getting diabetes, especially type 2, because blood sugar is not well controlled due to increased insulin resistance; consequently, blood sugar builds up in the vessels, thus damaging them (Daza et al., 2019). It can also cause unnecessary weight gain, especially among adolescents and children, because this age group needs more sleep than adults. In case of sleep deprivation, leptin and ghrelin levels are altered. Levels of leptin decrease and levels of ghrelin increase, thus increasing appetite, which makes them keep feeding regularly, thus developing obesity.

Sleep deprivation causes Alzheimer’s disease. Lack of sleep leads to beta-amyloid production, a protein that clumps together to form Alzheimer’s plaques. If there is insufficient sleep, the brain lacks enough time to flush these proteins, which accumulate, causing Alzheimer’s, a type of dementia. Additionally, sleep disruptions significantly increase the risk of inflammatory diseases like cancer, especially if one sleeps for less than six hours. Lastly, sleep disruption interferes with the biological clock that controls body functions and sleep, thus increasing the risk of colon, ovaries, prostate, and breast cancers.

REM sleep is essential because it causes relaxation of the body’s muscles (Barbato et al. 2021). The brain sends signals to reduce muscle tone, which causes relaxation. It elevates brain activity. During REM, the brain is as active as when one is up, so the brain sends signals to the thalamus that send sensations to the cortex, which causes the visualizing of images, thus making dreams. It improves memory because, during REM sleep, the brain transfers new information to the temporal lobe, integrates it, and stores it as long-term memory.

References

Barbato, G. (2021). REM sleep: an unknown indicator of sleep quality. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(24), 12976.

Daza, E. J., Wac, K., & Oppezzo, M. (2019, December). Effects of sleep deprivation on blood glucose, food cravings, and affect in a non-diabetic: An N-of-1 randomized pilot study. In Healthcare (Vol. 8, No. 1, p. 6). MDPI.

Holmer, B. J., Lapierre, S. S., Jake-Schoffman, D. E., & Christou, D. D. (2021). Effects of sleep deprivation on endothelial function in adult humans: A systematic review. Geroscience, 43, 137-158.

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