Have you found yourself spending the night tossing and turning? Is getting some rest at night an illusion? You know that you'll feel tired, cranky, and out of sorts the next day. Undoubtedly, failing to get the necessary 7 to 8 hours of sleep does more than only make you feel unproductive and reduce your capacity to carry out your daily duties.

Sleep deprivation has long-term consequences. It depletes your mental capacities and jeopardizes your physical health.

Bad sleeping habits can have minor consequences such as increased irritation and difficulty to focus and significant consequences such as heart attack, diabetes, hypertension, and so on.

What is Bad Sleep?

Isn't getting some rest at night all that's needed? Well, that's what most people believe, but several studies prove that to function properly, you have to sleep in certain positions maintain certain sleep habits and sleep time. Anything outside this is considered 'bad sleep' and can lead to tremendous harm in the long run.

Effects of Bad Sleep on Your Mind and Body

A bad sleeping schedule may appear harmless, but it affects your mind and body way more than you think. Here are some of the most unexpected effects of bad sleep.

1. Impaired Brain Function

All adults are expected to get at least six hours of night sleep daily. Also, sleep time must be kept consistent. Too little sleep and a bad sleep schedule affect the brain's plasticity and function. Impaired brain function is also associated with bad sleep hygiene. This is often manifested as forgetfulness, reduced productivity, and inability to concentrate.

2. Depression

Bad sleeping habits make people get unwanted and uncontrollable thoughts. People who have an inadequate sleep are often fatigued even before the start of the day. This makes them get irritated very quickly, and they break down in the face of a stressful situation. Maintaining such a lifestyle leads to mental fatigue and depression.

3. Low Income

Bad sleep causes reduced productivity. A survey showed that reduced productivity due to lack of sleep made people accomplish less and make poor decisions. As a result, it isn't easy to climb the career ladder or improve a business. Such people prefer to stay in low-paying routine jobs as they do not have the mental stamina to push for something bigger.

4. Heart Disease

When you sleep at night, the heart's rate slows down, the heart's pressure is reduced, and breathing is more stable. In this stage, the entire body rests. During the day, the body pushes itself to work hard and compensate for your energy needs. Night sleep is the break time from this hard work.

The heart does not slow down when this break time is shortened, interrupted, or removed. The pressure does not drop to the required low. When this repeats itself repeatedly, the individual stands a high chance of getting heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and even obesity. Also, this situation makes you prone to a heart attack.

5. Lowered Immunit

It has been proven that when you sleep, the energy consumption rate by your body drops drastically, so the immune system has enough to function well. This is attributed to the increased ability of the immune system to remember a foreign or harmful substance.

Also, in the case of a possible infection, the extent to which inflammation can occur during sleep is limited. There are hormones like melatonin released during sleep that help manage the effect of an inflammation that took place during your sleep. When the sleep process is altered, the body will not fight an invasion like it would when you sleep well.

Conclusion

Bad Sleep may harm your mental and physical health, performance at school or job, and general quality of life. In addition, chronic sleep deprivation can lead to difficulties or signal an underlying health concern, such as sleep apnea or worry. Anyone who is concerned about a lack of sleep should consult a doctor.