Consequences of Poor Sleep

April 14, 2017

Consequences of Poor Sleep

Sleep: Necessity, Not Luxury

Sleep is a necessity as critical to life as breath, and it affects every aspect of your life — from your productivity to your health to your mood. While most of us assume that sleep hours cut into our productive hours, we’re actually more productive when we get sufficient sleep! So while it may seem counterintuitive, your production will increase because you’ll have more energy and be able to think more clearly while working smarter and more efficiently.

Sleep Extras

Most people can feel the consequences of insufficient sleep:

Irritability
Exhaustion
Easily distracted
Making unsound decisions

However, there are other consequences of poor sleep that aren’t always as obvious. For example, sleep deprivation can negatively affect your immune system.

Research also suggests that sleep deprivation may lead to:

Weight gain
High blood pressure
Cancer
Heart disease
Stroke
Diabetes
Bone loss
Depression

Sleep deprivation also can impair:

Learning
Memory
Alertness
Concentration
Judgment
Problem solving
Reasoning

But these are only a few of the health issues sleep deprivation creates. According to Eve Van Cauter of the University of Chicago, a “lack of sleep disrupts every physiologic function in the body.” To make matters worse, lack of sleep hinders your ability to realize your own performance is impaired, making you think you’re functioning well when you probably aren’t.

So now we know that sleep is necessary, but it’s up to each of us to make sure we get enough rest. In the end, getting better sleep helps you lead a better life.