There is a lot of information out there about the importance of sleep. But what actually happens to your body when you don’t get enough? This blog post will go over some of the effects of lack of sleep on your body and how it can affect your life.

How Sleep Deprivation Affects Your Body

• You’ll be more irritable and moody.
• You’ll be a little slower and a bit more forgetful.
• Your immune system will weaken, making it easier for you to get sick.
• It could make your brain less active! This is not good news as our brains are responsible for many vital functions, including memory and learning.
• Instead, you will microsleep, which are tiny periods of sleep that occur while you are ordinarily awake. When you’re driving or operating machinery, microsleep can put you in danger.
• Sleep deprivation has been shown to impair your ability to drive.

Sleep deprivation can also impair your cognitive abilities and learning ability. Your capacity to understand and solve issues is hampered, as is your attention and awareness. This is especially important for school-aged children and college students, as they will be unable to recall what they learned or experienced during the day if they do not get enough sleep.

Sleep apnea can cause sleep deprivation. If you stop breathing during the night, your body will be deprived of oxygen and refreshed air. This can cause fatigue and exhaustion throughout the day because it puts a strain on your adrenal glands to supply enough adrenaline for daily activities.

Insomnia does not allow people to sleep no matter how hard they try. Insomniacs often find themselves tossing and turning at night. They may even get up and do something else until they feel tired enough to fall into a deep sleep. This deprivation can lead to blurred vision, mood swings, irritability, anxiety, and depression.

People with untreated obstructive sleep apnea will often suffer from the effects of lack of oxygen throughout the day and experiencing fragmented nighttime sleep.

How to Solve Sleep Apnea

There are treatment options available for sleep apnea.

People diagnosed with sleep apnea can use a continuous positive airway pressure, otherwise known as CPAP. Using this treatment option is comfortable and easy to adjust to. This appliance keeps the throat open by providing constant airflow throughout the night while sleeping through your nose or mouth.

Find Sleep Apnea Relief in Washington

Dr. Buck is a facial orthopedist based in the state of Washington. Through teamwork and combining their expertise, Dr. Buck and his fellow ENT physicians and pulmonologists help their patients find relief from sleep apnea. With Dr. Buck and his team, relief from the severity and alleviate symptoms of sleep breathing issues is possible. For more information on Dr. Buck’s practice and the treatment options he provides, please schedule an appointment by giving us a call today at 425-361-7499. Additionally, one may contact us by filling out our online form.