Did you know that when you have been awake for 18 hours straight that it is the same as having a blood-alcohol level of 0.08?
That means if you need to drive your car at that point that it is the equivalent of driving drunk. And, it only gets worse when you are awake longer than that.
Every mother knows how hard it is to go through life sleep deprived. What not everybody knows is how it can affect our health and well being.
I gave some tips on how to overcome sleep deprivation, but in this article, I would like to drive home the point that it is unhealthy and we have to do as much as we can to take care of ourselves. The first step is understanding what happens when we lack sleep.
Central nervous system
Your body uses the central nervous system to send information to every part. When you are sleep deprived, your exhausted brain can’t function properly so the signals the rest of your body needs to get are disrupted.
This slows your body down and makes it hard to make good decisions, for a start.
When you sleep, neurons are formed which act as a pathway for nerve cells to send information. Especially new information that is needed as a sort of software upgrade so to speak.
When you’re awake these pathways are not able to form so you can’t pass this new information along. It’s like trying to use a tablet that hasn’t been updated in a long time. It might work, just slowly.
The first step in trying to recover is to get a good night’s sleep with the right mattress. If you are a stomach sleeper then chances are greater that you don’t sleep well. Take a look at the best mattress for stomach sleeper. It may be what you need to get back on track.
Immune system
A sleep-deprived mum is one that just can’t seem to stay healthy. As soon as she comes into contact with somebody with a cold, it is only a matter of days before she also gets sick.
This is because your immune system needs that time when you are asleep to produce cytokines. These cytokines are responsible for seeking out and attacking bacteria and viruses.
When you are sleep deprived, your body doesn’t produce enough. Then when these bacteria and viruses find a home in your lungs, for instance, there is not enough resistance to keep you from getting sick.
Digestion
A lack of sleep prevents the hormones responsible for the brain knowing it has had enough to eat. Sleep deprivation tricks your brain into thinking you are hungry so you tend to overeat.
When mums find themselves gaining weight after baby, this is a big reason why.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the effects on our brains and bodies when we are sleep deprived.Just knowing these basics does help to explain why we do the things we do when we are not sleeping enough, so you know the signs.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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