What are the side effects of not getting enough sleep?
25 Answers
Last Updated: 06/07/2022 at 4:18am
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Jessica Russo, LCSW
Clinical Social Work/Therapist
Hi! My name is Jessica and I believe that healing is possible for all people and I am here to be supportive along this journey.
Top Rated Answers
One of the most irritating feelings is when I hear my alarm clock ring in the morning and my system is still screaming for a few extra hours of sleep. If I'd be asked to choose between a year-round of unlimited coffee shop gift certificates and a year of unlimited sleep, I'd say "Bye-bye Starbucks, Hello bed!"... I am an insomniac mammal who belongs in a society that burns the candle at both ends, struggling to cope up with sleep deprivation. I am a hopeless night owl dealing with this problem for quite some time now. Seeking professional help is something that just adds up to my frustration. I was introduced to my new buddies namely Sleeping Pills, Anti-depressant, and Valium but they just did not click with me.
I have read a lot about the effects of not getting enough sleep and this is something kind of alarming to me. I am beginning to experience the short-term consequences of not having enough bonding time with my bed and pillows - very little energy, feeling sad and depressed most of the time, palpitations, shortness of breath to name a few. I may still appear to be healthy right now but I know this will have a long-term effects leading to a host of health problems such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, etc.
I've experienced that lack of sleep has quite nasty side-effects, loss of concentration, loss of appetite, and if you go without sleep for a long amount of time it'll lead to balance issues, terrible headaches, anxiety, and it's known that people who don't sleep for a long amount of time, [7 days +] can, die.
Anonymous
November 12th, 2014 2:04pm
Drowsiness, lack of concentration, lack of coordination, a very bad mood, decrease in social interaction and aggression
Stress, poor concentration, heightened anxiety, and trouble retrieving or storing memories are some common ones. You will likely not feel very great physically either. Make sure to get as much sleep as you can! I have had periods of time when I was not sleeping enough and it really wrecked me, to the point of spiraling into depressive or manic episodes. Sleep is so important truly.
Anonymous
June 26th, 2017 4:52pm
There are many - here are a few: Sleepiness causes accidents, it effects your ability to think clearly, learn and remember, it can cause serious health problems, it can cause depression, it makes you look older, it can make you gain weight and it can impair your judgement. Sleep is important to your overall health!
If you don't sleep the recomended hours (based in sleep phases), you could gain weight, lack of concentration, headache, etc.
Lower immunity, energy to get through the next day, restlessness, and lower possibility for the brain to work fully to its potential.
Please check this article:
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/10-results-sleep-loss
Anonymous
June 18th, 2015 3:43am
Altered appetite, dark circles, irritability, lack of focus, weight gain or loss, muscle and back pains, headaches, dizziness, nausea, indigestion (yeah, your stomach fluids even need to rest!) sore limbs...it goes on!
You’re not going to think or act the way you would had you got enough sleep.
7-9 hours is the ideal amount and anything less then that will create a brain fog as your bodily systems are occupied elsewhere, compensating for the lack.
It’s like trying to carry a bucket of water with a hole in it.
If you want to make the most out of each day I would suggest getting that 7-9 hours every day. It will help you communicate with others, think clearly, and enjoy the little things. It speeds up healing on all levels, and improves your breathing.
Anonymous
April 9th, 2018 4:25am
The side effect of not getting enough sleep is feeling sleepy throughout the day, no energy to do anything, dizziness, or even other issues too.
Anonymous
December 12th, 2017 5:01pm
getting sick, feeling sleepy, not being able to do the work you need to do, being drowsy at school.
The body need sleeps to regenerate and recharge emotional and physical energy storage. It more dangerous to drive sleep deprived that to drive after having a long night of drinking. The brain needs proper sleep for the body to heal and to help you be your best each day.
As a person who really enjoys her sleep, I get really inattentive on days where I get lesser sleep than usual. Moodiness is something that happens to me on such days and it might cause people to misunderstand me as being upset at them (which is one of the main reasons why I actively ensure that I get sufficient sleep). As a student, I make a number of careless mistakes when I don't get sufficient sleep and I regret it a lot afterwards, thus I prioritise sleep over completing my revision, for example, if I am left with one more chapter and it's already past my usual sleeping time, I'll just go ahead and sleep, since I would not be able to properly revise when I am tired anyway, and this usually works for me.
Basically insufficient sleep messes up my entire daily routine, and I tend to feel more bloated throughout the entire day, so in conclusion, sleep early!
Anonymous
March 15th, 2016 6:13pm
not focusing on the main day activity,feeling exhausted for the rest of the day,sometimes getting angry for no reason.
Anonymous
January 4th, 2016 2:59pm
Some of the more obvious symptoms of sleep deprivation include irritability and excessive sleepiness, but some other consequences do occur, such as:
- Increased risk of accidental death
When one is tired, one is less able to judge things adequately and take care of themselves as they were before.
- Impaired memory
Long-term memory is stored while sleeping. Without adequate sleep, memories will not stay.
- Micro-sleeping
This is very dangerous, especially for individuals who drive or operate heavy machinery. Micro-sleeping occurs when the body doesn't get adequate sleep and it falls asleep for short periods of time, often without the individual realizing it.
- Weakened immune response
Your body has been active all night and isn't getting the rest it needs so it responds more poorly when viruses, bacteria, etc. enter the body.
- Weight gain
Lack of sleep increases appetite.
- Heart disease
Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to heart diseases such as hypertension.
- Hallucinations
You could be cranky or yawn a lot or not want to eat or feel really sleepy or you could feel tired or have trouble to keep your eyes open
Anonymous
January 8th, 2015 2:22am
For me, it's resulted in having terrible attitude towards people. I start to feel tired a lot earlier in the day than normally, despite not waking up till 11pm after going to sleep around 4am. With me, it affected my ability to think properly and even simple tasks seemed impossible.
Short term: inability to concentrate, headaches, feeling really sleepy and slow throughout the day
Long term: Feeling fatigued all the time, lack of motivation and focus, getting sick more easily (sleep is ESSENTIAL for your immune system)
The main one: being tired. This has many side effects like work getting worse, less motivation to do things, and a downwards spiral. However, it can also make you more prone to illness, and can make you ache constantly.
Some side effects of not getting enough sleep is the lack of attention you're going to have in the morning, along with tiredness.
Anonymous
November 3rd, 2014 5:22pm
Hallucinations, lack of energy and focus, low awareness of your surroundings, slower reaction times and much more.
Fatigue, uncontrollable anger and emotions, stress, lack of concentration, hyperactivity, higher sugar-consumption than usual and crying.
Dark circles, tiredness, dullness, sadness; people get nasty and shout at everyone. They blame others for their conditions...
Anonymous
October 22nd, 2014 7:46pm
Serious health issues (like high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, heart disease etc.) A lack of sleep can also make forgetful.
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