I have been doing a lot of research lately on the effects of chronic sleep deprivation. Most of this is for a new book I am writing on what underlying metabolic factors create a condition that makes it nearly impossible for many people to lose weight. However, during that research I was astounded by all the studies that have been done documenting the incredibly adverse effects that not sleeping can have on a person over time.
Basically, what happens when your body is chronically deprived of sleep, levels of the stress hormone cortisol tend to rise, especially at the end of the day. This in turn raises insulin levels. Insulin promotes fat storage. Therefore, chronic sleep deprivation can quickly pack on the pounds.
However, research has shown that people suffering from chronic sleep debt can also expect to experience adverse health effects in virtually every area of their lives, including:
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In contrast, studies show that sleeping 7-8 hours each night reduces mortality from all causes.
The bottom line is this – if you can sleep, you should get as much sleep before midnight as possible and shoot for a total of 8 hours of sleep every night. If you have difficulty sleeping or suffer from chronic insomnia, figure out why and address those underlying reasons ASAP. If you need help figuring out what to do, follow the links below for more information or give us a call – we’ll have you sawing logs before you know it.
I never have had a problem sleeping before. I ate whatever I wanted, never gained a pound and was a extra small all my life… until I got on the depo provera shot. I got it once and quickly noticed depression and anxiety. That kept me up at night, i got about 6 hours a night though when my whole life I got around 8 or 9 a night. Well as the depo shot was in my system for another month, I gained weight rapidly… 20 pounds within a month when I never could gain weight before. I went from a straight A student to a B and C student in college because of fatigue so I had to drop out for a while… which has now turned to over a year. I have tried everything, sleep medications, prayer, vitamins, you name it… everything… nothing helps. I developed severe insomnia… so bad I haven’t even heard of anyone that has this like I do. I literally get about 2 to 3 hours a night… on my best nights… every other day its about an hour. I can’t do anything in my daily life… getting ready is a huge burden because i feel faint… i can’t ever hang out with my fiance like I used to… i’m always depressed when I used to be the happiest person ever and I gained over 30 pounds right before our wedding… which is in 2 months. I had to give up modeling, singing because of fatigue and memory as well as school and am just waiting for this to pass… but I want my life back. I can’t do a sleep study for I would have to sleep at least 5 hours. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I’ve been to dozens of doctors, chiropractors, counselors… they all seem shocked about this. I feel like I tried everything and I don’t know what else to do.
My heart goes out to you Joy – thank you for sharing this information. We have had clients with similar experiences with medications designed to severely alter hormone and/or neurotransmitter levels; unfortunately, reactions to these medications can be quite severe for many people. I know it is difficult, especially as the lack of sleep and fatigue continues to compound upon itself; we’ve seen it. We have had several clients that came to us with chronic insomnia that could only get 5-10 hours of sleep per week. If that happened to any of us for only a week, our well being would be severely altered. Longer than that, it can cause all sorts of health complications, as you are experiencing. It is not at all uncommon to experience depression, anxiety, food cravings, loss of focus/concentration, memory loss and muscle/joint soreness in addition to the fatigue associated with chronic insomnia. Luckily, we have been able to help our clients address many of the underlying factors that caused their insomnia and they are now sleeping more hours and more soundly, although it can take some time (6-9 weeks on average) to see noticeable changes for some people. Please give us a call and set up an initial phone or in-office consultation so we can see what we can do to help you get the rest you need. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Chad