The Dangers of Chronic Insomnia

Insomnia can be very annoying, but it can also cause many health issues. It is a very common problem that many Americans suffer from, and it causes more problems in a person’s life, such as hindering daily functions and alertness during the day. When we are tired, we tend not to react and make the best decisions as we would if we had gotten the right amount of sleep. This can lead to accidents and create problems that we otherwise wouldn’t have with enough sleep. Years of Insomnia can lead to obesity, and hypertension starts to set in. This combination can lead to an early death.  

Everyone has trouble sleeping at some point in their lives. However, when it becomes a chronic problem, it is dangerous. When we don’t get the sleep, we need we become fatigued and typically notice brain fog. This can lead to problems at work, school, and home. You might feel weak, sore, dizzy, or have headaches because of it.  

Things Lack of Sleep Do to Us

Lack of sleep affects our mood. When we are tired and making mistakes, this can lead to anger issues or cause us to be overwhelmed and sad. With time, insomnia can also be a part of the reasons for the person to have depression or anxiety. All of this leads to stress. As we are making mistakes, causing accidents, and our mood is shifting, we start to become stressed.  

Experts believe that with lack of sleep comes a lack of hormones for the digestive tract. This will cause you to feel more hungry and to eat more. It will be harder to maintain a healthy diet and not eat things that aren’t good for your diet. Many people tend to snack when they are depressed. While insomnia does cause depression, this then could lead to overeating and weight gain.

Chronic Insomnia Effects 

Insomnia will affect your relationships in many ways. While we have discussed how it affects mood, it also affects the hormones that give you a sex drive. Studies have been done on this, and they show that losing sleep in the last 1/2 of the night will seriously reduce testosterone levels in the morning.

Chronic Insomnia can have effects on the immune system overall. Sleep is how the body recharges, and without it, the body is running on empty. Sleep is when the body regenerates the cells it needs to fight off infection and when you are not getting the sleep you need, you are compromising your immune system. This can lead to catching colds and getting sick more often. However, it can also lead to more serious illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. It can also lead to premature death via a car accident or other accidents due to the brain fog and fatigue that come along with it.  

Because of all of the reasons above, you should definitely seek out medical assistance to determine what you could do to help you with your sleep. Some common things are limiting screen time before bed, trying over-the-counter melatonin that is a natural sleep remedy. There are also prescription medications that are made to help one fall asleep. 

To schedule an appointment with one of our sleep specialists, contact us Today!