7 disorders linked to lack of sleep

Did you know...

As we saw last week, getting plenty of good sleep is important for health; conversely, sleeping too little at night can drastically worsen your mood and cause symptoms... let's look at the 7 main ones.

1. Depression, apathy and tiredness. Lack of sleep is closely associated with a reduction in serotonin, the "feel-good hormone" and precursor of melatonin, a substance that supports the natural sleep-wake rhythm; irritability will increase and mood will be unstable.

2. Overweight and obesity. Getting only a few hours of sleep at night alters appetite: levels of leptin, the substance responsible for the feeling of fullness, fall, while levels of ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates hunger, and of insulin, the hormone that helps glucose enter cells, rise, with a parallel increase in fat tissue.

3. High blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. If you are used to staying up late, your blood pressure could rise considerably, as could the risk of cardiovascular disease, because during sleep heart activity slows and blood pressure falls; if sleep is insufficient, stress and tension will be inevitable consequences.

4. Weakened immune defences. Our immune system works mainly at night, during sleep, producing substances that protect us from illness and infection; sleeping too little can mean falling ill more easily.

5. Thyroid disorders. A lack of deep, sustained sleep at night can cause a reduction in TSH, the hormone that stimulates thyroid activity, resulting in hypothyroidism (when the thyroid works too little and poorly) and its classic symptoms such as weight gain, tiredness and mood swings.

6. Memory lapses. During the REM phase, the brain processes the experiences of the day and consolidates recent memories and situations; if you sleep too little, you are unlikely to reach the REM phase of sleep and your memory could suffer.

7. Insomnia itself. Insomnia can in turn become a further source of stress, creating a vicious circle that leads to significant physical and psychological changes, including loss of muscle mass, with a resulting increase in tiredness and asthenia.