The strength of our immune systems can be compromised
Consultant health psychologist Dr. Sue Peacock has revealed the damage we can do to our bodies if we don’t get enough sleep.
The average adult needs between seven and nine hours of sleep per night according to the NHS, but that’s easier said than done if you’ve got an active mind.
And yet, a study from 2023 found that getting less than six hours of sleepy time reduces the body’s response to vaccinations amongst other health-related problems.
“Research shows that there is a complex link between sleep-wake cycles and our immune systems,” Peacock told Metro.
“While you sleep, your immune system produces protective, infection-fighting substances such as cytokines. It uses these substances to combat foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. These cytokines also help you sleep, giving your immune system more energy to defend your body against illness.
“This lowers the body’s response to infection. It increases our vulnerability to disease, and it may take you longer to recover from illness.”
The sleep expert also detailed how anxiety has a terrible impact on our ability to nod off, as the brain sits uncomfortably in ‘fight or flight’ mode.
“Anticipatory anxiety and specific anxiety about sleep can lead to sleep disturbance and insomnia, which then creates a feedback loop that can make both conditions worsen,” noted Peacock.
There’s a physical ripple effect from a lack of sleep too, most drastically for women.
Body clock specialist Dr. Katharine Lederle shared with the same publication: “The level of thyroid-stimulating hormone increases during sleep deprivation, and in healthy young women in their follicular phase, is associated with a significant increase in TSH level. High levels of TSH causes menstrual irregularities, anovulation (when an egg isn’t released), amenorrhea (when you don’t get periods) and recurrent miscarriages.”
The grimness doesn’t stop there either, because this research study even suggested that people are at a much higher risk of strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s when they don’t get their head down for at least six hours.
You know what to do tonight.
