Sleep is the body’s only way to recover and regenerate, Kurapov explains. Disrupted sleep will ultimately lead to all sorts of other problems.
Lack of sleep has a cumulative effect on the body: if you only get four hours of sleep one night, and the next, and then the next, you’ll feel worse each day. At some point, in the absence of deep restorative sleep, your body will simply begin to shut down.
Insomnia has many side effects, depression and anxiety being the most prominent among them, while you are also more likely to have a heightened perception of stress.
Research shows that a lack of sleep leads to heightened anxiety in healthy adults. Just one night of disrupted sleep leads to a 30% increase in anxiety. Those with anxiety disorders experience boosts in stress hormones like cortisol in the absence of quality sleep; this, in turn, leads to surges of anxiety even before beginning your day.
Studies also show that the amount of sleep you get is related to the functioning of your immune system. Study participants who slept for less than seven hours a day were almost three times more likely to suffer from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
That’s why we have to prioritize sleep, however difficult it may seem. There is simply no other way to maintain your physical and mental health, Kurapov says.
Джерело: Sleeping in the wake of the news: Advice from a Ukrainian researcher at Salzburg’s Sleep Lab
