Why lack of sleep is bad for your health

By March 18, 2014 No Comments


When you might need more sleep than normal

There are some situations when you’ll need more than the standard eight hours of sleep a night. It’s not unusual to want 10-15 hours of rest and sleep a day if you are:

  • recovering from illness
  • pregnant
  • living with a chronic illness
  • have been through extreme physical exertion, such as running a marathon

One in three Britons suffers from poor sleep, with stress, computers and taking work home often blamed for the lack of quality slumber.


Regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions including obesity, heart disease and diabetes – and it shortens your life expectancy.


How much sleep do we need?



A variety of factors can cause poor sleep, including health conditions such as sleep apnoea. But in most cases it’s a matter of bad sleeping habits.

Find out the common medical causes of fatigue.

What happens if I don’t sleep?


Although it isn’t as common as not getting enough sleep, sleeping too much can also cause problems.

Oversleeping has been linked to physical problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, oversleeping can occur in 15-40% of people with depression.



After several sleepless nights, the mental effects become more serious. Your brain will fog, making it difficult to concentrate and make decisions. You’ll start to feel down, and may drop off during the day. Your risk of injury and accidents at home, work and on the road increases.

Find out how to tell if you’re too tired to drive.

If it continues, lack of sleep can affect your overall health and make you prone to serious medical conditions such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.


1. Sleep boosts immunity


2. Sleep can slim you down

Sleeping less can make you weigh more! Studies have shown that people who sleep less than seven hours a day are 30% more likely to be obese than those who get nine hours of sleep or more.

It’s believed to be because sleep-deprived people have reduced levels of leptin, the chemical that makes you feel full and increased levels of ghrelin, the hunger-stimulating hormone.

3. Sleep boosts your mental wellbeing



4. Sleep prevents diabetes


It seems that missing out on deep sleep may lead to type 2 diabetes by changing the way the body processes glucose, the high-energy carbohydrate that cells use for fuel.

5. Sleep increases your sex drive

Men and women who don’t get enough quality sleep have lower libidos and less of an interest in having sex, research shows.


6. Sleep wards off heart disease


7. Sleep increases your fertility

Difficulty conceiving a baby has been claimed as one of the effects of sleep deprivation – in both men and women. Apparently, regular sleep disruptions can impair fertility by reducing the secretion of reproductive hormones.

How to catch up on lost sleep



Starting on a weekend, try to tack on an extra hour or two of sleep a night. The way to do this is to go to bed when you’re tired, and allow your body to wake you in the morning (no alarm clocks allowed!).

Expect to sleep for upwards of 10 hours a night, at first. After a while, the amount of time you sleep will gradually decrease to a normal level.

Don’t rely on caffeine or energy drinks as a short term pick-me-up. They may boost your energy and concentration temporarily, but can disrupt your sleep patterns even further in the long term.

Read these common energy booster myths.

Read practical tips for getting a good night’s sleep.

Read articles on ways to beat insomnia.

Get help for your sleep problem

Think you might have a sleep problem?

Try one of these NHS-reviewed sleep apps aimed at getting you to sleep well.

This article can be read in full here: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/tiredness-and-fatigue/Pages/lack-of-sleep-health-risks.aspx


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