Sleep plays a vital role in your mental and physical wellbeing. Different processes that occur during sleep help to promote healthy brain activity and maintain good overall health. For children and teenagers, sleep is also key for proper growth and development.

Sleep deficiency can interfere with these bodily processes. The term “sleep deficiency” refers to the inability to get enough high-quality sleep. This may occur due to sleep deprivation, or simply not getting enough sleep, or there may be other underlying reasons, such as a sleep disorder or circadian rhythm misalignment. A lack of high-quality sleep means your body has less time to recover during the night. This can also lower your body’s defenses against diseases and medical conditions.

The effects of sleep deprivation on physical health include:

• Obesity: Studies have found sleep loss can increase your risk of becoming obese. Your body produces and regulates various hormones during sleep. These include ghrelin, which makes you feel hungry, and leptin, which makes you feel full. Lack of sleep can cause your ghrelin levels to increase and leptin levels to decrease, meaning you are more likely to feel excessively hungry  and overeat.
• Heart Problems: Blood pressure is generally reduced during sleep.  Thus, decreased sleep can lead to a higher daily average blood pressure, which in turn may increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. Inadequate sleep has also been linked to coronary artery calcification, a major predictor for coronary heart disease.
• Insulin management: Insulin is a natural bodily hormone that regulates your glucose (or blood sugar) level. Sleep deprivation can affect how your body reacts to insulin and cause your glucose level to rise, which in turn puts you at higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Similarly, reduced sleep or poor sleep quality may adversely affect glucose control in known diabetics.

• Immunohealth: During sleep, there is a peak in the number of certain T-cells, various cytokines, and other important components of your immune system. Not getting enough sleep can affect how the immune system responds to viruses and other infections. Long-term reduction in sleep can also lead to persistent low-level inflammation throughout the body, which underlies many chronic medical conditions.

• Cognitive Performance: A good night’s sleep can improve your ability to concentrate, be creative, and learn new skills. People who don’t get enough rest often have a hard time paying attention and are more likely to commit errors at work or in school.

• Memory Consolidation: Sleep is essential for processing memories. During the third non-rapid eye movement stage of your sleep cycle – also known as slow-wave sleep – your brain begins organizing and consolidating memories. The rapid eye movement stage that follows may help to cement these memories. As a result, not getting enough sleep can affect your ability to remember important details.

• Mood: People who don’t get enough sleep may have a harder time controlling their emotions, making good decisions, and coping with different aspects of daily life. Sleep deficiency can also lead to mental health issues, such as depression and increase one’s risk of suicide.

• Growth and Development: For children and adolescents, deep sleep triggers the release of hormones that promote healthy growth, increase muscle mass, regulate puberty and fertility, and repair cells and tissues. Children who don’t receive enough sleep may feel angry or sad, struggle with school work, and have a hard time engaging with their peers in positive ways.

• Safety: Drowsy driving is a major road hazard for U.S. drivers. Sleep deficiency can reduce one’s reaction time and lead to falling asleep behind the wheel. People who don’t get enough sleep are also at higher risk of being involved in a workplace accident.

The amount of sleep you need changes with age. Newborns and infants require as much as 15 to 17 hours of sleep per night, whereas teenagers can usually get by with eight to ten hours. Adults between the ages of 18 and 64 generally need seven to nine hours. After reaching 65, this amount drops slightly to seven or eight hours.

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