Why lack of sleep is bad for your health

Many effects of a lack of sleep, such as feeling grumpy and not working at your best, are well known. But did you know that sleep deprivation can also have profound consequences on your physical health?

When you might need more sleep than normal

There are some situations when you'll need more than the standard eight hours of sleep a night. It’s not unusual to want 10-15 hours of rest and sleep a day if you are:

• recovering from illness
• pregnant
• living with a chronic illness
• have been through extreme physical exertion, such as running a marathon

One in three of us suffers from poor sleep, with stress, computers and taking work home often blamed.

However, the cost of all those sleepless nights is more than just bad moods and a lack of focus.

Regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, heart disease and diabetes – and it shortens your life expectancy.

How much sleep do we need?

Most of us need around eight hours of good-quality sleep a night to function properly – but some need more and some less. What matters is that you find out how much sleep you need and then try to achieve it.

As a general rule, if you wake up tired and spend the day longing for a chance to have a nap, it’s likely that you’re not getting enough sleep.

A variety of factors can cause poor sleep, including health conditions such as sleep apnoea. But in most cases, it’s due to bad sleeping habits.

Find out the common medical causes of fatigue.

What happens if I don't sleep?

Oversleeping

Although it isn’t as common as not getting enough sleep, sleeping too much can also cause problems.

Oversleeping has been linked to physical problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, oversleeping can occur in 15-40% of people with depression.

Everyone’s experienced the fatigue, short temper and lack of focus that often follow a poor night’s sleep.

An occasional night without sleep makes you feel tired and irritable the next day, but it won’t harm your health.

After several sleepless nights, the mental effects become more serious. Your brain will fog, making it difficult to concentrate and make decisions. You’ll start to feel down, and may fall asleep during the day. Your risk of injury and accidents at home, work and on the road also increases.

Find out how to tell if you're too tired to drive.

If it continues, lack of sleep can affect your overall health and make you prone to serious medical conditions, such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Here are seven ways in which a good night's sleep can boost your health:

1. Sleep boosts immunity

If you seem to catch every cold and flu that’s going around, your bedtime could be to blame. Prolonged lack of sleep can disrupt your immune system, so you’re less able to fend off bugs.

2. Sleep can slim you

Sleeping less may mean you put on weight! Studies have shown that people who sleep less than seven hours a day tend to gain more weight and have a higher risk of becoming obese than those who get seven hours of slumber.

It’s believed to be because sleep-deprived people have reduced levels of leptin (the chemical that makes you feel full) and increased levels of ghrelin (the hunger-stimulating hormone).

3. Sleep boosts mental wellbeing

Given that a single sleepless night can make you irritable and moody the following day, it’s not surprising that chronic sleep debt may lead to long-term mood disorders like depression and anxiety.

When people with anxiety or depression were surveyed to calculate their sleeping habits, it turned out that most of them slept for less than six hours a night.

4. Sleep prevents diabetes

Studies have suggested that people who usually sleep less than five hours a night have an increased risk of having or developing diabetes.

It seems that missing out on deep sleep may lead to type 2 diabetes by changing the way the body processes glucose – the high-energy carbohydrate that cells use for fuel.

5. Sleep increases sex drive

Men and women who don’t get enough quality sleep have lower libidos and less of an interest in sex, research shows.

Men who suffer from sleep apnoea – a disorder in which breathing difficulties lead to interrupted sleep – also tend to have lower testosterone levels, which can lower libido.

6. Sleep wards off heart disease

Long-standing sleep deprivation seems to be associated with increased heart rate, an increase in blood pressure and higher levels of certain chemicals linked with inflammation, which may put extra strain on your heart.

7. Sleep increases fertility

Difficulty conceiving a baby has been claimed as one of the effects of sleep deprivation, in both men and women. Apparently, regular sleep disruptions can cause trouble conceiving by reducing the secretion of reproductive hormones.

How to catch up on lost sleep

If you don’t get enough sleep, there’s only one way to compensate – getting more sleep.

It won’t happen with a single early night. If you’ve had months of restricted sleep, you’ll have built up a significant sleep debt, so expect recovery to take several weeks.

Starting on a weekend, try to add on an extra hour or two of sleep a night. The way to do this is to go to bed when you’re tired, and allow your body to wake you in the morning (no alarm clocks allowed!).

Expect to sleep for upwards of 10 hours a night at first. After a while, the amount of time you sleep will gradually decrease to a normal level.

Don’t rely on caffeine or energy drinks as a short-term pick-me-up. They may boost your energy and concentration temporarily, but can disrupt your sleep patterns even further in the long term.

Read these common energy booster myths.

Tips for getting a good night’s sleep.

Read about ways to beat insomnia.

Could your snoring be sleep apnoea?

Snoring can be a symptom of a disorder called sleep apnoea, which is hard to identify and has serious health risks.

Video: sleep apnoea

Sleep apnoea is very common, but less than one in four sufferers are diagnosed. Although sleep apnoea can affect men and women of all ages, it's most common in middle-aged men, affecting about one in 25, according to the Sleep Apnoea Trust.

Sleep apnoea causes daytime sleepiness that can seriously affect people's work and social lives, and their ability to drive safely.

What is sleep apnoea?

Sleep apnoea is when the throat narrows or closes during sleep and repeatedly interrupts your breathing.

This results in a fall in the blood's oxygen levels. The difficulty in breathing causes the brain to wake you up.

This can happen hundreds of times a night without you realising. It leads to poor sleep quality and severe sleepiness during the day.

The good news is that something can be done if you're diagnosed with sleep apnoea.

Symptoms of sleep apnoea

You may not be aware that you have problems breathing while asleep. Often it's a partner or a family member that notices.

However, you may notice these symptoms:

• snoring
• episodes during sleep where you stop breathing
• restless/unrefreshing sleep
• frequent trips to the toilet every night
• morning headaches
• excessive daytime sleepiness and irritability
• poor concentration
• loss of libido

Overweight men aged between 30 and 65 are most likely to have it. Sleep apnoea appears to be less common in women.

Sleep apnoea also affects children, particularly if they have enlarged tonsils or adenoids.

Health risks of sleep apnoea

If left untreated, the condition can increase the risks of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

People with sleep apnoea are significantly more likely to have a road accident than other people.

Tests show that drivers who are sleepy due to sleep apnoea perform worse than drivers with blood alcohol levels over the legal drink drive limit.

Read how Terry, who has sleep apnoea, fell asleep while driving.

Diagnosing sleep apnoea

Most people who have sleep apnoea can be diagnosed by doing a home recording. Recorders are available from special sleep clinics, and can be worn overnight in bed.

These measure either just the blood oxygen level, or oxygen plus snoring, heart rate and breathing using sensors.

See more about diagnosing sleep apnoea.

Treating sleep apnoea

If you are diagnosed with sleep apnoea, you're likely to be prescribed continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP).

This is where you wear a mask over your nose and mouth, and a machine raises and regulates the pressure of the air you breathe in. This prevents your airway from collapsing during sleep.

CPAP has good results. By controlling the apnoea, it improves sleep quality. You're more likely to wake up feeling refreshed, and stay alert throughout the day.

CPAP also suppresses the snoring, meaning that your partner can sleep better too.

See more about treating sleep apnoea.

Find sleep apnoea services in your area.

10 tips to beat insomnia

Simple lifestyle changes can make a world of difference to your quality of sleep.

Follow these 10 tips for a more restful night.

1. Keep regular sleep hours

Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time every day will programme your body to sleep better. Choose a time when you're likely to feel tired and sleepy.

2. Create a restful sleeping environment

Your bedroom should be a peaceful place for rest and sleep. Temperature, lighting and noise should be controlled so that your bedroom environment helps you to fall (and stay) asleep.

If you have a pet that sleeps in the room with you, consider moving it somewhere else if it often disturbs you in the night.

3. Make sure your bed is comfortable

It's difficult to get restful sleep on a mattress that's too soft or too hard, or a bed that's too small or old.

4. Exercise regularly

Moderate exercise on a regular basis, such as swimming or walking, can help relieve some of the tension built up over the day. Make sure that you don't do vigorous exercise, such as running or the gym, too close to bedtime, though, as it may keep you awake.

See how to get fit your way.

5. Cut down on caffeine

Cut down on caffeine in tea, coffee, energy drinks or colas, especially in the evening. Caffeine interferes with the process of falling asleep, and also prevents deep sleep. Instead, have a warm, milky drink or herbal tea.

6. Don't over-indulge

Too much food or alcohol, especially late at night, can interrupt your sleep patterns. Alcohol may help you to fall asleep initially, but it will disrupt your sleep later on in the night.

7. Don't smoke

Nicotine is a stimulant. Smokers take longer to fall asleep, they wake up more frequently, and they often have more disrupted sleep.

8. Try to relax before going to bed

Have a warm bath, listen to quiet music or do some gentle yoga to relax the mind and body. Your doctor may be able to recommend a helpful relaxation CD.

9. Write away your worries

If you tend to lie in bed thinking about everything you have to do tomorrow, set aside time before bedtime to make plans for the next day. The aim is to avoid doing these things when you're in bed, trying to sleep.

10. If you can't sleep, get up

If you can't sleep, don't lie there worrying about it. Get up and do something you find relaxing until you feel sleepy again, then go back to bed.

If lack of sleep is persistent and affecting your daily life, make an appointment to see your GP.

Find out about Sleepio, a digital programme that helps people overcome sleep problems.

How to get to sleep

If you have difficulty falling asleep, a regular bedtime routine will help you wind down and prepare for bed.

Check out our 10 tips to beat insomnia

Few people manage to stick to strict bedtime routines. This isn't much of a problem for most people, but for insomniacs, irregular sleeping hours are unhelpful.

Your routine depends on what works for you, but the most important thing is working out a routine and sticking to it.

Sleep at regular times

First of all, keep regular sleeping hours. This programmes the brain and internal body clock to get used to a set routine.

Most adults need between six and nine hours of sleep every night. By working out what time you need to wake up, you can set a regular bedtime schedule.

Make sure you wind down

Winding down is a critical stage in preparing for bed. There are lots of ways to relax:

• A warm bath (not hot) will help your body reach a temperature that's ideal for rest.
• Writing "to do" lists for the next day can organise your thoughts and clear your mind of any distractions.
• Relaxation exercises, such as light yoga stretches, help to relax the muscles. Don't exercise vigorously, as it will have the opposite effect.
• Relaxation CDs work by using a carefully narrated script, gentle hypnotic music and sound effects to relax you.
• Reading a book or listening to the radio relaxes the mind by distracting it.

If you need more ideas, you can get help and advice from your GP.

Make your bedroom sleep-friendly

Your bedroom should be a relaxing environment. Experts claim there's a strong association in people's minds between sleep and the bedroom.

However, certain things weaken that association, such as TVs and other electronic gadgets, light, noise, and a bad mattress or bed.

Keep your bedroom just for sleep and sex (or masturbation). Unlike most vigorous physical activity, sex makes us sleepy. This has evolved in humans over thousands of years.

Your bedroom ideally needs to be dark, quiet, tidy and be kept at a temperature of between 18C and 24C.

Fit some thick curtains if you don't have any. If you're disturbed by noise, consider investing in double glazing or, for a cheaper option, use earplugs.

Keep a sleep diary

It can be a good idea to keep a sleep diary (PDF, 55kb). It may uncover lifestyle habits or daily activities that contribute to your sleeplessness.

If you see your GP or a sleep expert they will probably ask you to keep a sleep diary to help them diagnose your sleep problems. So taking one you've already done with you could save time.

A sleep diary can also reveal underlying conditions that explain your insomnia, such as stress or medication.

See 10 tips to beat insomnia and healthy sleep tips for children.