According to the Sleep Health Foundation, having enough sleep is key to reducing your risk of suffering with damaging cardiovascular illnesses. In fact, ongoing sleep deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of stroke, diabetes, kidney disease and high blood pressure – a number of illnesses that can be extremely painful and problematic.
It also found that not getting enough sleep could also make us less likely to be able to control our weight. Because sleep deprivation impacts severely on impulse control, not getting enough sleep makes us less likely to resist cravings of unhealthy foods, leading to the possibility of unwanted weight gain.
A study found that people were more likely to choose foods that were high in carbohydrates if they’re sleep deprived, as well as increase the tendency to feast on late-night snack increase. In comparison, people who got the recommended eight hours of sleep per night chose foods that that contained half the amount of fat than those who were sleep deprived.
There’s also a lower risk of accident when you’ve got enough sleep. According to the Sleep Health Survey published in 2016, 5% of people surveyed admitted that they’d fallen asleep at the wheel and had an accident in their vehicle.
Along with the potentially dangerous benefits of not getting enough sleep, there’s also a risk to your overall wellbeing by cutting your sleeping schedule short. In fact, chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to a rise in mental health problems, along with a weaker immune system. This is because your sleep and emotions are closely linked, hence the reason why you may not be in a fantastic mood after a rough night’s rest.
In order to get a better night’s sleep and reduce your risk of a lack of sleep affecting your health, take some time to research the best and worst mattresses.
