In the same way that breathing, digestion or immunity are essential to the proper functioning of the body, sleep is vital. Indeed, it is essential for body growth, hormonal stimulation, brain maturation, cell reconstruction, immune development as well as for cognitive functions and mood.
Consequently, lack of sleep, ie less than 6 hours of sleep per night for an adult, affects health and increases the risk of suffering from certain diseases, more or less serious. Moreover, among these diseases that can be caused by lack of sleep, we find the following 5:
Alzheimer's disease
Lack of sleep, affecting about 54% of people according to a survey, is closely linked to an increased risk of developing and precipitating the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. .
This was highlighted by a study by Adam Spira of the Mental Health Department of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (USA) and Alyssa Gamaldo of the National Institutes of Health (USA). United), thanks to previous research and the study of biomarkers specific to Alzheimer's disease, including the beta-amyloid protein responsible for memory loss and lack of communication between neurons. The study looked at 70 people aged 53 to 91 years and the results showed that a reduction in sleep time led to an increase in beta-amyloid protein. Therefore, lack of sleep could cause and accelerate Alzheimer's disease.
Obesity and diabetes
According to a scientific study conducted by Josiane Broussard of the Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, USA, and researchers from the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago and At the University of Wisconsin (USA), lack of sleep would cause an increase in free fatty acids in the body and have an impact on the speed of metabolism and the ability of insulin to regulate blood sugar. For example, people who are sleep deprived would be at greater risk for obesity and diabetes or for these diseases to get worse.
Cardiovascular illnesses
Beyond diet, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, and family history, cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and angina pectoris could be caused by lack of sleep. In fact, according to a 2017 study by Qiao He and Peng Zhang of China Medical University (Shenyang, China), insomnia and related symptoms, including lack of sleep, are associated with increased risk. future cardiovascular disorders.
These findings were made through a meta-analysis of scientific data from previous cohort studies. In total, the researchers found that the risks of cardiovascular events increased by 27% when there is a difficulty of falling asleep, by 18% when sleep is not restorative and by 11% for various complications of sleep. Note that no link was found between early waking and cardiovascular disease.
Suicide
Given that sleep plays an essential role in the functioning of the body and mood, it seems that poor quality and lack of sleep are linked to a high risk of suicidal acts. For example, sleep may be one of the risk factors for suicidal behavior, especially in the elderly.
According to a study by Rebecca Bernert, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine (California, USA) and Carolyn Turvey, Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Psychiatry ( United States), carried out on 14,456 adults over 65, for a period of 10 years, lack of sleep entails an increased risk of death by late suicide, regardless of depressive disorders. In this way, the study highlights the importance of sleep in the management of suicidal behaviors and wants to improve prevention techniques, especially among the elderly.
Ulcerative colitis
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) whose ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease can develop as a result of lack of sleep. Indeed, lack of sleep causes inflammatory reactions that can lead to both diseases according to a study by Ashwin Ananthakishnan and Hamed Khalili, Department of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital (USA). This phenomenon is explained by the production of inflammatory cytokines, that is to say, chemical mediators with synergistic or antagonistic reactions that are involved in inflammation but also in immune reactions.
Thus, a sleep duration of less than 6 hours results in the release of inflammatory cytokines, especially in the digestive system, and increases the risk of suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases. It should be noted that excess sleep, lasting more than 9 hours of sleep, according to the study, also causes such inflammatory reactions. It is therefore appropriate to respect the average sleep time recommended for an adult, namely 7 to 8 hours of sleep.
