Consequences of sleeping little

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Chronic sleep deprivation, however, is associated with different effects, including:

Disoriented elderly person with dementia

Inferior cognitive performance: worse working memory, less attention and worse concentration.

Woman asleep in the office

Increased daytime sleepiness.

Woman who is afraid and anxious

Increased anxiety and irritability, low self-esteem and emotional tone.

Tired, sweating man

Fatigue

Decreased sexual appetite

Decreased libido

Head of a man with a crossed out light bulb representing loss of creativity and productivity

Less creativity and productivity.

All these negative effects make mistakes more likely (wrong decisions, poor planning). Personal conflicts also increase, due to psychological and mood effects. Lower personal performance can have financial consequences, such as losing your job. Increased sleepiness can also make it easier for traffic accidents to occur.

It has also been seen that, to compensate for these effects, there may be a tendency to abuse certain substances, such as stimulants, sedatives, hypnotics, alcohol and drugs.

Insufficient or poor quality sleep at night has been associated with the following conditions:

Glucometer and a hand with a finger in which the lancet has been inserted to measure diabetes levels.

Diabetes mellitus, type 2

Heart with a blocked artery causing a heart attack

Myocardial infarction

Cancer cell surrounded by healthy cells

Some types of cancer

Elderly with mild cognitive impairment

Alzheimer’s disease

Elderly person in bed with fever

Infections

In short, sleeping little and poorly leads to lower productivity and worsening health. Therefore, sleeping well puts you in a better state of mind and emotional well-being, being healthier, with improved performance in studies or work. In general, more well-being at work, socially and with the family.

Substantiated information by:

Alejandro Iranzo de Riquer

Published: 26 May 2022
Updated: 15 June 2022

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