What can chronic lack of sleep lead to?
A person who does not get enough sleep looks very sad and absent-minded. Unfortunately, these are just external signs that are not the main manifestations of sleep deprivation.
Sleep deprivation should not be confused with insomnia, the occurrence of which is justified by psychological or physiological reasons. Insufficient sleep syndrome occurs when a person deliberately limits his or her stay in bed. With such a rhythm, he survives only thanks to the compensatory capabilities of the organism. There are special mechanisms that change the quality of short sleep. He becomes more concentrated. This contributes to the recovery of the body.
In the structure of sleep, five stages are distinguished, successively replacing each other. Change is carried out every 1.5 hours. The first stage is shallow sleep. In another way, this stage is called falling asleep. This is followed by a dream of medium depth. The third and fourth stages are characterized by deep sleep and maximum physical recovery of the body. The fifth stage is REM sleep or dreaming sleep. Scientists claim that this stage is responsible for the mental recovery of the body. Various studies have shown that the first two stages of sleep account for 55% of a given cycle. Sleep deprivation syndrome is characterized by an increase in the proportion of deep sleep and a decrease in other phases. You need to understand that people who are deliberately sleep deprived cannot fully restore their body.
In addition, sooner or later, the compensatory mechanism fails. This leads to the fact that, firstly, the risk of psychosomatic diseases increases. Secondly, there is a weakening of the immune system. Thirdly, sleep deprived people are more dependent on alcohol, nicotine and various drugs. Fourth, lack of sleep leads to a weakening of attention. This is fraught with an increase in the risk of getting into accidents and a decrease in labor productivity.
If your daily sleep does not exceed 5-6 hours a day, it is optimal to get enough sleep on weekends. Adherence to specific sleep hygiene practices is recommended to improve sleep quality... The lights should be off in the bedroom. The air temperature should be neither too warm nor too cold. The bed must be chosen based on individual human needs. Before going to bed, it is acceptable to limit the consumption of stimulants (tea, coffee, alcohol, nicotine, etc.). These funds excite and interfere with normal sleep. An hour before bedtime, a decrease in mental and physical activity is recommended.
Sleep is a basic physiological human need. It must be remembered that you cannot try to replace it with something. There are stimulating drinks that can help a person stay awake for a while. In another way, they are called energy tonics. However, their use is very harmful and unsafe. The result can be a "shutdown" in a very uncomfortable place, for example, while driving. Stopping the abrupt fall into sleep, which is observed against the background of chronic lack of sleep, is almost impossible. In addition, energotonics are characterized by various side effects. Their constant use has a negative effect on the cardiovascular system.