What Are The Long Term Effects Of Insomnia?
Insomnia is a condition that affects millions of people each year. Most people think insomnia is just having trouble falling asleep. While it’s true that this is one form of insomnia, there are others. If you need alcohol or a sedative to help you fall asleep, you likely have insomnia. If you have no problem falling asleep, but find yourself waking up too soon and you can’t get back to sleep, this is also insomnia. Finally, if you fall asleep and stay asleep, but feel groggy all day, it could be that you’re waking up several times a night and don’t even know it. This would be yet another form. So what are the effects of insomnia? It’s a problem can take its toll physically and psychologically. Sleep is such an important thing, as lack of sleep is linked with such physical conditions as cardiovascular disease, depression, and weight gain. You need sleep to feel your normal, happy self. Physical Effects A lack of sleep will cause your body not to function at its best. It makes people feel tired and void of energy all day long. It will also cause them to react slower, making driving dangerous. The immune system of a sleep deprived person isn’t as effective as a person who is rested. Sleep gives the body a chance to heal itself, which it cannot do if it cannot sleep. Because of this, someone with insomnia will be more susceptible to sickness. Other symptoms include dizziness, joint pain, shallower breathing, itchy eyes, headaches, and slurred speech. Psychological Effects A person with insomnia is likely to be moody. They will have a tough time remembering things and trouble focusing. Since the brain is impaired and has greater difficulty processing data, learning new things becomes easier said than done. If the person remains sleep deprived long enough, they may even begin to hallucinate. Since insomnia often brings on feelings of anxiety and depression, it can lead to excess drinking. Feelings of helplessness and despair tend to follow. It can cause increasingly antisocial behavior, which can also affect your work life. People unable to sleep also tend to eat more due to hormonal changes. A person’s leptin (a hormone which suppresses the desire to eat) levels decrease while ghrelin (a hormone which triggers appetite) increases. This leads to unhealthy eating habits, causing obesity and the health problems associated with it. The risk of circulatory system failure is raised. In short, a person’s entire quality of life is diminished by the effects of insomnia. If you’re suffering from insomnia, you need to speak to a physician or other health care professional. They will be able to prescribe medicine that can help free you from pain and misery. |