The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest those of ages 13-18 years old to get at least 8-10 hours of undisturbed sleep and those older to get at least 7 hours of sleep.
Sleep deprivation, or insufficient sleep, may cause one to start developing symptoms such as difficulty focusing, mood swings, fatigue, and irritability. These symptoms are usually disregarded and thought of as unimportant in comparison to the amount of tasks that need to be completed, causing people to constantly sacrifice their sleep time to work and study.
However, sleep deprivation affects the body in several harmful ways. Insufficient sleep can:
Affect hormone production. It causes the body to release more stress hormones and disrupt the maintenance of healthy amounts of crucial hormones.
Increase risk of heart disease.
Increase fat storage and body weight.
Increase risk of infections and respiratory disease.
Affect a person’s ability of reasoning, handled by the prefrontal cortex, and emotions, handled by the amygdala.
In the long term, those with sleep deprivation have an increased possibility of complications such as hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases, depression and anxiety, psychosis, stroke, sleep apnea, and obesity.
Some tips to avoid lack of sleep include:
Avoid drinking caffeine during the night.
Limit daytime naps to 30 minutes maximum.
Avoid heavy meals before bedtime.
Avoid exercising three hours before bedtime.
Have a set sleeping schedule (wake up and go to sleep at the same time each day)
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