Lack of sleep could kill a person much quicker than starvation.
According to studies, not being able to sleep for up to seven days could potentially lead to death. However, starving yourself for seven days would only result in fatigue and raging hunger, but you’d still be alive.
This stresses the importance that an adequate amount of sleep has on your health.
According to the National Institutes of Health, 7% to 19% of adults reportedly do not get enough sleep, 40% reportedly fall asleep during the day at least once a month, and 50 to 70 million Americans have chronic sleep disorders.
Lack of sleep may affect hunger-regulating hormones, which can lead to eating more food more often. Cravings may increase for foods that are higher in added sugar, fat and sodium. Excessive intake of these nutrients can increase risk of developing health issues like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
So the question is, is sleep more important than nutrition?
We are designed to be active, but we can’t be active unless we eat properly and get plenty of sleep. The answer would be that they work together, so making sure you have an adequate amount of sleep as well as the balance of a nutritional diet will be beneficial to your and your wellness.
Here are some facts based on what long term effects could happen if you continue to sleep deprive yourself:
Hypertension
Getting less than 5 to 6 hours of sleep per night has been linked to an elevated instance of hypertension.
Heart Attack & Stroke
Sleep deficiency could cause a greater instance of fatal cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks and stroke.
Weight Gain & Obesity
One of the effects of continual sleep problems include rapid weight gain.
Diabetes
Getting as much as 5 hours of sleep at night is still not enough. Research has shown that sleep deprivation may disrupt the body’s method for processing glucose which cells use for fuel and the amount of insulin that the body produces.
Here's to sleeping healthier in 2023.
The SpineAlign Team
