Lack Of Sleep : How Lack Of Sleep Can Affect You & Weight Loss

Have you been on a hectic life all these while when you can't even find a time to have a good night sleep? Or are you feeling stressed and depressed that you are losing sleep? If you are, then you are not alone. There are much more people in the United States having the same problem that you face in your life.

Sleep has been pushed back deeper and deeper into the night for several reasons. Part of the main reason is due to the invention of televisions, computers, video game consoles, internet, mobile phones etc., where many are using them late into the night, chatting on the internet up to the wee-hours and so on. Also, in this new information age where businesses productivity and competitions have nevertheless becoming more intense, so does the need for employees skills, work time and flexibility to handle various job tasks even night time. Some even go further with 24/7 on-call duty. As competitions among retailers have also heated up, more and more restaurants, fast foods and stores are now operating 24/7. So, there will be a huge demand for shift workers as well. As such, many people, and not just young adults and college students are going to bed late, many with irregular work shifts, have their sleep time totally haywired. As a result, the lack of sleep is becoming a more and more common phenomenon among people's life today.

Studies have found that the lack of sleep could affect a person's life in many ways, not just physically but also mentally, according to National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Lack of sleep could affect a person's emotions, well-being, concentrations, productivity as well as performance. In addition, recent studies also found that the lack of sleep also give rise to many serious health problems such as increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depressions, and also weight gain. In fact, research has found that lab animals that have gone through long term sleep deprivation died pre-maturely.

Experts have recommended that a person should get about seven to eight hours of sleep at night. With adequate sleep, one can maintain good health and optimum performance. Studies have also found that people who go to bed late at night are more susceptible to get poor quality of sleep, which in turn affects mental, health and performance in the workplace. A survey conducted by the NSF during a 5 year period between the year 1999 and 2004 has revealed that there at more than 40 million Americans suffering from various sleep disorders and 60 percent of adults reported having sleeplessness problems a few nights a week or more. These sleeplessness at night could be due to various causes but some of them are what experts identified as causes that could be prevented. These causes are: 

• Consuming beverages that contain caffeine in the afternoon or evening
• Consuming alcoholic drinks
• Other drug use
• Exercising right before bedtime
• Practise an irregular sleep schedule
• Thinking excessively about various things after going to bed.

As such, sleep is very important to a person as it is the time that the body is set to rejuvenate itself. The brain releases many types of chemicals and hormones that starts the body repair and healing process. Hence, having a good and adequate night sleep ensures a good health and great performance during the day.

• Fatigue
  
• Daytime sleepiness
• Clumsiness
• Lack of concentrations
• Bad moods
• Mental depressions
• Weight gain
• Increased risks of various diseases