When you are lying in bed at night tossing and turning you may become anxious because you aren’t sleeping because you know how lousy and tired you feel the next day. Lack of sleep makes you groggy, fuzzy, and grumpy, but it also has some serious side effects, and can even be life threatening. So whether you are lying awake because of your spouse’s snoring, suffering from insomnia, or suffering from some other sleep disorder, know the psychological effects of sleep loss so you can do something about it.
Thinking
Sleep plays a critical role regarding your cognition. While it has yet to be understood exactly how, it is known that the quality and quantity of sleep effect the acquisition, consolidation, and recall of memories and information. Sleep loss impairs reasoning, concentration, alertness, attention, and problem solving, making it difficult to learn. It also helps consolidate your memories.
Depression
Research has shown that lack of sleep can lead to depression. During a 2005 sleep study, it was realized that of those individuals suffering from anxiety or depression, a large majority slept less than six hours a night. A 2007 study showed that people with insomnia were five times more likely to develop depression.
Impaired Judgment
It is recommended that people get seven or eight hours of sleep at night. Those who chronically get less can suffer from impaired judgment. They are not able to accurately assess situations and make sound judgments accordingly. In today’s high-stress, fast-paced world people who get less sleep may actually pride themselves on that fact, and think they are getting ahead. The fact is that mental alertness and performance tests indicate otherwise. The longer period of time you get less sleep, the worse the test scores.
Memory
Lack of sleep also makes you forgetful. Reaching REM, the deepest stage of sleep, is important in consolidating long term memories. Sleep loss also affects recall.
About Your Livonia MI Dentist Dr. Stewart
James R. Stewart, Jr, DDS, PC and our compassionate staff proudly serve patients of all ages from Livonia, MI., Farmington Hills, Plymouth, Northville, Dearborn Heights, Garden City, and all surrounding communities. If you think you or a loved one is dealing with a sleep disorder, call our office today at (734) 425-4400, to schedule an appointment. At Dental sleep Medicine of Michigan, we are committed to forming trusting relationships with our patients so we can work together to achieve sound treatment and a future full of restful nights.
