<p style="text-align: justify;">Do you have trouble sleeping? Have you ever felt grumpy and foggy due to lack of sleep? If yes, then the main reasons behind this are stress and your smartphone. But one should know the effects of sleepless nights are more than a bad mood or lack of focus.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Studies show that remaining awake all night can affect your memory,<a href="https://easyb.org"> physical appearance, sex life</a> and worse, increase your risk of developing serious medical conditions. Following are some of the undesirable effects that will prove that sleeping less is actually bad for your health.</p>
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<li><strong>Risks of Accidents:</strong></li>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">There is strong evidence that sleep deprivation plays a major role in big disasters. Sleep is also a big public safety hazard every day on the road. People who sleep less are less alert which increases the chance of having an accident. The chance of work accidents increases when people don’t sleep at nights. Not to forget, people who sleep less are sick most of the time.</p>
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<li><strong>Mental Health:</strong></li>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">Sleeping less also affects your mental health. So don’t be surprised if you keep staring at your computer screen without understanding a word.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Lack of sleep slows down the process of learning and interpreting. It also affects the ability to focus, to be attentive, to concentrate, to be alert and to solve a problem.</p>
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<li><strong>Physical Health:</strong></li>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">Sleeping less can also affect your physical health. It puts you at risk of serious medical conditions including heart failure, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, obesity, and diabetes. It also shortens your lifespan.</p>
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<li><strong>Difficulties in losing weight:</strong></li>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">People who sleep less may face difficulty in losing weight. In fact, sleeping less may cause you to put on extra weight.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Studies reveal that sleeping less than 6 hours can lead to weight gain. What&#8217;s worse is that you are more likely to become obese than those who get seven hours of sleep.</p>
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<li><strong>Weak immunity system:</strong></li>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">Sleeping less actually weakens <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/tiredness-and-fatigue/Pages/lack-of-sleep-health-risks.aspx">your immune system</a>. People who don’t get enough sleep catch a cold and flu easily. Sleep actually boosts your immune system and making it easier to ward off common infections.</p>
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<li><strong>Sleep decreases sex drive:</strong></li>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">Some studies have shown that sleep-deprived men and women report lower libidos. Men who sleep less, have respiratory problems and low testosterone levels.</p>
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<li><strong>Decreases fertility:</strong></li>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">Sleeping less can actually create fertility problems for both men and women. Sleep deprivation can reduce the secretion of reproductive hormones, hence causing trouble in conceiving.</p>
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<li><strong>Skin Problems:</strong></li>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">Lack of sleep ages your skin. Most of the people get dark circles, puffy eyes and sagging skin after a few sleepless nights. Chronic sleep loss can also lead to dull skin and fine lines.</p>
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<li><strong>Depression:</strong></li>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">Sleep disorders and lack of sleep contribute to the symptoms of depression. A study conducted in 2007 shows that people who have insomnia were five times as likely to develop depression as those who don’t have insomnia. On the other hand, depression makes it more difficult for a person to sleep<strong> peacefully. </strong></p>
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<li><strong>Weak Memory:</strong></li>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">Have you ever forgotten what you ate last night? If yes, then you are not getting enough sleep. Sleeping less makes you forgetful. Keep your memory sharp by getting enough sleep that is eight hours every day.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">There is only one way to catch up on lost sleep and that is to get more sleep. However, you cannot catch it up in one night. It will take several weeks to build a healthy routine.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you <a href="https://centracare.org/florida/blog/2016/05/23/trouble-sleeping/">have trouble sleeping</a>, go to bed when you start feeling tired and allow your body to wake you in the morning. Also, avoid energy drinks and caffeinated beverages. If everything fails, you can consult your GP to rule out more serious causes of insomnia such as thyroid disorders. Most physicians have incorporated telemedicine into their practice which means you can get in touch with them using your smartphone or laptop.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Try to follow the ideas mentioned here and you are good to go. Remember, it’s never too late to start living a healthy life!</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Author Bio:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">James Crook is a passionate blogger who loves to write on health and fitness related topics. Currently, he is a working as a blogger for a telemedicine app ‘<a href="https://www.mendfamily.com/">Mend Family</a>’. Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/jamescrook911">@jamescrook911</a> for more updates.</p>

Could Sleeping Less Actually Be Bad For Your Health?
