Sleeping is considered the pillar of having good health. However, most folks do not have any idea how badly inadequate sleep can affect his or her health. Every part, every cell, and even every tissue of your body is affected if you are not having proper sleep. It can also alter the functioning of DNA that gives life and strength to your body.
Many of the diseases that can lead to the death of a person including heart diseases, dementia, obesity, diabetes, and cancer can trace part of their cause to lack of sleep. Inadequate sleep can disturb the proper functioning of our cardiovascular system. Our metabolic, immune, and as well as reproductive systems are also at risk. It means that we are definitely affected by sleep deprivation.
Sleep Loss on the Cardiovascular and Reproductive system: Inadequate sleep leads to fatal diseases, and according to research, it is found out that 45% of the population has a high risk of death due to decreased sleep. The chances of developing cardiovascular disease increase with age.
At 45 years old, the risk of developing heart disease increases by 200% just due to the lack of sleep. Blood pressure does not remain normal if you do not have enough sleep, then high blood pressure leads to heart problems. The systolic blood pressure in the heart does increase due to the decrease in sleep.
In addition, this systolic pressure affects the physical fitness of a person as well. The blood vessels known as coronary arteries feeding the heart do not work properly if one is sleep deprived. The coronary arteries tend to narrow and become constricted when sleep deprivation kicks in.
This then creates problems for the heart as it becomes starved of vital oxygen supply, which then most often leads to the “massive coronary”, a massive and most commonly fatal heart attack. Atherosclerosis, or the shrinking and hardening of arterial walls via calcium deposits, are also most commonly exacerbated in folks who have sleeping periods of 6 hours or less.
This once again places sleep deprived folk in higher danger of heart attacks, as narrowed and hardened arterial walls aren’t exactly all good for the heart. Another major issue caused by chronic sleep deprivation is the stress that it places on the sympathetic nervous system.
This system is responsible for the marshalling of all of the body’s innate resources, with which it will deploy in accordance to our normal human requirements, and also in response to any perceived threats. A lack of sleep is seen as a threat by the sympathetic nervous system, and hence it deploys the body’s resources in an effort to address it.
Think of it this way, lack of sleep is akin to a need for speed because you are perhaps driving somewhere urgently and hence you floor the accelerator of your vehicle. That flooring of the accelerator is the sympathetic nervous system’s response. Now if you are constantly sleep deprived, that means the accelerator is constantly floored.
Imagine how overheated and stressed the engine of the vehicle would be; and the same goes for your body. This constant state of overdrive seen in the sympathetic nervous system then leads to high blood pressure and then to heart diseases.
Cortisol, a stress hormone, is produced in larger quantities during stressful situations and when the body undergoes sleep deprivation. This hormone leads to hypertensive blood pressure and an increase in the rate of heartbeat. As compared to this, proper sleep will keep the functioning of the sympathetic nervous system within its normal limits, thus taking care of your cardiovascular system.
The communication of the brain with the body’s regulation of other hormones does occur in a soothing way and hence major issues with blood pressure and coronary problems are mostly laid to rest.
About author
I am certified in addiction counseling, public health, health education, mental health and I am also an AIDS-certified registered nurse with more than 30 years of experience and founder of Hindi health point