1. Sleep-deprived individuals have a tendency towards obesity: The University of Chicago in the U.S. found that people who sleep only 4 hours per night have lower levels of a hormone called leptin compared to normal individuals. Leptin's function is to inform the body that it is full. Even though sleep-deprived individuals may have eaten enough, their leptin levels are equivalent to those of someone who has been on a 1000-calorie deficit for three days. This equals about one pound of body weight. Another study found that people with poor sleep tend to prefer candies, sweets, starchy foods, and high-calorie foods.
2. Japanese research discovered that people who sleep less than 5 hours per night are twice as likely to develop heart disease compared to those who sleep 8 hours. Lack of sleep leads to increased activity in the immune system, and over the long term, this can cause inflammation in the major arteries, making heart disease more likely.
3. In recent years, a protein called C-reactive protein (CRP), produced by the liver and resulting from an immune response, has been identified as an accurate predictor of heart disease. It is the best indicator of damage to the arterial walls. Studies have found that CRP levels are significantly elevated in sleep-deprived individuals.
4. The New Wika Heart Specialty Clinic in Germany found that many heart problems cannot be detected by current medical examination methods. When these issues worsen, they can lead to severe heart disease. These problems include mild weakening of the heart due to fatigue, which results in reduced blood flow through the heart each time, similar to a malfunctioning water gate where the amount of water passing through decreases slightly each time. Although the amount of blood not passing through is small each time, the cumulative effect creates pressure, which over-activates the sympathetic nervous system. This further strains the heart, weakens its function, and causes various sleep issues such as insomnia, waking up at night and being unable to fall back asleep, frequent awakenings, and early morning awakenings without being able to fall back asleep. It has now been found that this pressure is also the cause of many other problems, such as coughing and airway constriction similar to asthma. Many Chinese people focus on taking supplements to strengthen their bodies; however, many of these supplements increase blood volume and blood viscosity, exacerbating the aforementioned issues.
5. Research from the University of Chicago found that sleep-deprived individuals have significantly worse glucose processing abilities (related to diabetes) compared to people of the same age, resembling the responses of much older elderly individuals.
6. Laboratory animals that lack sleep become more susceptible to infections, experience hair loss, and age prematurely. The Sleep Research Institute at the University of Surrey in the UK found that many hormonal self-regulation processes require a normal sleep pattern to function properly. Disrupting this pattern severely damages our immune system. For example, growth hormone levels are suppressed in individuals who cannot achieve deep sleep. Many children suffering from sleep apnea experience poor development and are smaller in stature. In adults, the ratio of fat to muscle becomes worse: muscles appear loose, and signs of aging appear earlier. Related articles:
Article source: http://www.anmianyao55.com