[ad_1]
A new study from Florida shows that a “significant deterioration” in physical and mental health is evident after three consecutive nights of poor sleep.
From a sample of nearly 2,000 American adults who filled out sleep diaries, experts found symptoms worsened after just one night of poor sleep, but peaked after three nights. In terms of mental health, participants reported accumulating feelings of anger, nervousness, loneliness, irritability and frustration due to lack of sleep.
Meanwhile, the physical symptoms of sleep deprivation included pain and even breathing problems.
The study was conducted by experts from the School of Aging Studies at the University of South Florida, based in Tampa.
The team investigated the consequences of sleeping less than six hours for eight consecutive nights. Six hours tend to be the minimum recommended sleep duration to promote optimal health for adults. Optimal sleep duration tends to vary by age group.
“A lot of us think we can catch up on our sleep on weekends and be more productive on weekdays,” said lead author Sumi Lee.
However, the results of this study show that a lack of sleep in just one night can significantly affect daily functioning.
Read more
The researchers used data provided by the US Midlife Study, a national longitudinal study on health and wellness funded by the National Institute on Aging.
The sample included 1,988 middle-aged adults, all relatively healthy and well-educated, who provided daily data for eight consecutive days.
Researchers found that the greatest increase in mental and physical symptoms appeared after just one night of poor sleep. But the number of problems steadily worsened throughout the three-day period, peaking on the third day.
At this point, the human body gets used relatively to frequent sleep loss, according to the team.
However, participants reported that the severity of their physical symptoms was at its worst after six days and included upper respiratory tract issues, pain, digestive issues, and other health issues.
Once spending less than six hours a night becomes a habit, it becomes increasingly difficult for your body to fully recover from a lack of sleep, according to Lee.
In their article, published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, the team said, “The resulting lack of sleep has been linked to a deterioration in daily emotional and physical health trajectories. Efforts to break the vicious cycle of sleep loss can protect everyday well-being. being adults whose bedtime is often compromised. “
An earlier study by Lee and colleagues, published in 2019, found that losing just 16 minutes of sleep can affect function.
The study found that adults who slept 16 minutes less than usual were characterized by poor judgment and problems concentrating at work.
Source: Daily Mail
[ad_2]
Source link
