Surprising effects of not getting enough sleep



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Do you make sure you sleep at least seven hours a night? If that is not the case, you are far from being the only country concerned because many people in the United States report a loss of sleep for various reasons.

Although losing a few hours seems hardly a problem, it can induce short-term effects. Although fatigue and hunger are among the most predictable consequences, here are some that might surprise you.

1. Your social life may suffer the consequences

As loneliness has become an increasingly popular topic of research, sleep has been highlighted as an important factor in the quality of our social life. In fact, this could be a two-way street, as researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have shown in this study.

"The less you sleep, the less socially you want to interact," said Matthew Walker, senior author and professor of psychology and neuroscience at Berkeley. "In turn, other people perceive you as more socially disgusting, which further increases the serious impact of sleep loss on social isolation."

2. Everything seems a lot more annoying

As a general rule, when we are exposed to a source of irritation such as uncomfortable clothes or a dog that does not stop barking, we learn to adapt over time and to take care of it. . But this ability is hampered when we do not sleep enough – an effect that was observed in a study conducted in 2018 by Iowa State University.

If you only sleep for two to four hours, it could have the opposite effect: your level of distress increases over time, in response to a slightly frustrating sound.

3. You are less able to feel empathy

A number of studies have linked sleep deprivation with decreased emotional empathy, whether with adolescents or with health professionals. Over time, this could have serious consequences for the workplace and even for personal relationships.

A night of sleep deprivation provoked empathy of emotional responses in a study from the University of Calgary. Regardless of whether they saw anyone in a positive or negative situation, participants "cared less about the emotions of others," noted the study's authors.

4. Sensitivity to physical pain may increase

Scientists at UC Berkeley recently revealed that sleep loss can amplify pain-sensitive areas of the brain. In their new study, participants were subjected to increasing heat levels on their legs.

On average, discomfort was reported at 111 degrees Fahrenheit after a good night's sleep. But that threshold dropped to 107 degrees Fahrenheit after a sleepless night enough. The lack of shuteye also seemed to reduce the activity of the part of the brain, which facilitates the release of natural painkillers.

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