₦airaland Forum

Introduction

Ah, sleep. You remember it, right? It’s what you’re supposed to be doing when you’re lying in bed checking Facebook on your phone or watching back-to-back episodes of House Hunters International.

Sleep deprivation is so common and pervasive these days that it’s now considered a public health epidemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But how much sleep is enough? Researchers now have an answer: The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society gathered a panel of 15 experts in sleep medicine and research and concluded that seven hours is the magic number when it comes to the minimum amount of sleep adults need to stay healthy.

The problem is, nearly 30 percent of adults are sleeping less than six hours per night, according to the CDC. But what exactly happens to your body when you get less than six hours of shut-eye? Is it that bad? In a word, yes.


Your Mental Capacities

“One of the most important things we have to remember is that sleep is a function of the brain,” Shalini Paruthi, MD, associate professor in the department of internal medicine and pediatrics at Saint Louis University, and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, tells Yahoo Health. When you don’t get enough, the mental effects are immediate. They range from having a harder time concentrating and making decisions to having headaches and struggling to remember things, which can impact your life both personally (forgetting a friend’s birthday) and professionally (blanking mid-presentation in front of your boss).

Your ability to react quickly also slows down when you’re exhausted — which results in making mistakes. “We first lose our speed, and then we lose the accuracy,” notes Paruthi. “There are multiple studies that show being deprived — even if it’s four hours of sleep — can make someone have the same reaction time as someone who is driving under the influence. Driving while sleep-deprived is the equivalent of driving drunk.”

Your Mood

And let’s not forget about mood. “Your ability to regulate and control your emotions, as well as [cope] with change, are affected,” she says. That’s a nice way of saying that you’re more likely to be grouchy and irritable when you’re short on sleep. Research shows that getting less than five hours of sleep at night can make you feel more stressed, sad, and angry.

Your Heart

One study involving 3,000 adults over the age of 45 found that those who slept under six hours each night were nearly twice as likely to have a stroke or heart attack compared to adults who logged six to eight hours per night, according to the National Sleep Foundation. They were also 1.6 times more likely to have congestive heart failure. Another small study conducted by Mayo Clinic researchers found that not getting enough shut-eye significantly raises blood pressure at night.

Your Blood Sugar Levels

Blood sugar levels are affected, too. In one study, healthy men who were restricted to four hours of sleep six nights in a row showed impaired glucose tolerance — a prediabetic condition.

Your Immune System

Anyone who has ever gotten a cold shortly after pulling an all-nighter knows that sleepless nights can also weaken your immune system. A recent study found that people who slumber for six hours or less at night are four times more likely to catch a cold when exposed to the virus, compared to those who sleep more than seven hours each night. “People who are sleep deprived may not be able to mount the same type of immune response as someone fully replete on their sleep,” says Paruthi.

Related: The Bad Habit That Makes You 4 Times More Likely to Catch a Cold

Your Metabolism

Missing out on sleep may also be the reason your skinny jeans are feeling a little tighter these days. Being just shy of two hours of your usual amount sleep at night can slow down your metabolism. And other research shows it can rev up your appetite: A study published in the Journal of Sleep Research found that just one night of not getting enough sleep raises ghrelin levels — the hormone that signals hunger to the brain.

Your Appearance

A lack of shut-eye also affects your appearance. There’s a reason they call it beauty sleep: A 2013 study in the appropriately named journal Sleep found that people rated photos of sleep-deprived adults as looking less than their best — with redder eyes, darker under-eye circles, and more fine lines and wrinkles — compared to photos of the same adults when they were well-rested. The study participants even went on to say that the adults in the photos looked sadder when they were sleep-deprived, than after a good night’s sleep.

Your Love Life

As if that weren’t enough, sleep deprivation can even mess with your relationship. Couples have a harder time resolving conflicts and have more frequent and serious fights when they don’t get enough sleep, according to a 2013 study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

efilefun:

am so sure the posted of this is really a zombie slowpoke(so sorry didn't mean to say that)

the state of the economy is totally in wreck right now so don't play politics with it BUT we are hopeful it comes out strong
i see a president who doesn't care about the future until that which he feels it's right is done.
he has forgotten other factors or forces(not party members or people) which makes a good economy

PHOTOGRAPHY!!!!!!!!!!

charix:
Good thing you finally spoke out against injustice. Although you're without a job your mind is finally at peace.

sorry am confused!!!!!
without a job gives him alot of peace?

God bless you O

SO SWEET A PROFESSION!!!!!!!!

it's not too late to adjust the false tales...............

Splashme:
That road is still in top shape and together with the Kubwa 10-lanes expressway remains the best superhighways in Nigeria - courtesy of GEJ

The portion the first two pictures are taken from is not the expressway itself bu the T-junction leading to Idu and CITEC-Mbora

the clueless watchers and screamer needs a lot of help

g

Don Jazzy has been hilarious on social media lately
that's cool
it shows a complete boss , a combination of work and play

so he's dead or what happened again?

Ddonoflife:
. For where

for nairaland class

Ddonoflife:
. For hen

you be class prefect

honestly won't take that o
she must cook or we both cook
later the kids will join the kitchen crew

ionsman:
Sometimes you people come to Nairaland to fool yourselves. ...If you know the atrocities this man committed, you wont be blabbing nonsense here.

When you are privy to some information first hand and see the ignorance some people display here,you just shake your head.

Once again,shut up.You know nothing. It's not all about shouting Buhari is a dullard. ....Spits.....

and you think those nailing him know what they are doing?
someone is playing the script given to him , making everyone look bad and making himself good

It's also good you clear the air on GEJ too as the APC goons are banking on your statement too

One by one they shoot each other on the foot
you picked rebels from another party and expect them tamed.....
something must be wrong with APC

olapluto:
1 million barrels per day at 105USD = 105 million USD per day. Honestly, anyone still supporting the past administration is a wicked soul, and is the lowest of low.

you are not an accountant and you are so gullible too
you brilliantly came up with the maths and still believed a politician poo?
do you believe that something like that happened and nobody knew all these while? please think again

And the borrowing session starts

Mogidi:
Seems Buhari is now sold on the TRANSFORMATION idea, probably waiting for GEJ to hand him his brain.

you can say that again!!!!!!!!!

false claim from bloggers

na ijebu man

chuna1985:
He will learn on sit?

he will sha learni o Uncle Chuna

take him out of the house yourself!!!!!!!!!!!
if you catch another girl on your bed doing unknown things to your husband what will you do??
activate that plugin, it's free - use it and salvage the situation

too early to call them mistakes - he will stabilize
he has never been a democratic ruler before
he will learn..................
I HOPE HE DOES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

can this false news moggers and liars leave this man alone

well you guys are making him "most" popular

i think the man talks too much for a Director-General@NIMASA

i just hope it's not an opportunity to get someone he likes in there

DeHero1:


Some 'funs' can b dangerous

i agree but this fun looks cool

seem everything on toyin street is fake
employment and even real estate - look at the house someone is offering for 850k - 1.3m

am so sure no works has been done in that building since time memorial

not bad - actually looks fun to me

cute couple - so happy for them