You may not be aware of it, but the countless nights that you skipped sleep are actually accelerating your aging process. You may not notice it, but lack of proper slumber is making your eyes droop, forming wrinkles on your face, making your skin drier and causing your memory to fail from time to time. Probably, the underlying reason why you cannot remember the names of the street or simply where you placed your keys is your chronic lack of sleep.

Before you cutback on your sleeping hours just to watch that late night movie, to chat on the phone with your pal, or to try to get some of your office work done, read on and learn the importance of restful sleep and the dangers that you may get yourself into by perpetually skipping sleep.

Weight And Metabolism

People guilty of chronic sleep loss are more likely to develop weight problems, according to several studies. The lack of sleep actually alters the body's way of storing and processing the food you eat, particularly carbohydrates. Furthermore, your body's reaction to perpetual sleep deprivation is to change the production levels of the hormones that are responsible for your appetite. Have you ever noticed that you seem to eat more the following day after a night of missed out snooze time?

Memory And Learning

A lot of people blame aging for the memory gaps they experience every once in a while. However, the real culprit behind these hazy moments is sleep debt. If you haven't been sleeping soundly for a couple of nights, you will notice that you seem to forget a lot, like where you placed your eyeglasses or whether you left your car keys on the ignition.

It is important to note that your brain is processing and storing new information into the memory during sleep. This process, known as memory consolidation, is important so that you will be able to easily access the new things you have learned whenever you need them. In fact, people seem to do better on exams and tests after they have slept soundly after studying or learning a task.

Mood

Sleep deprivation often causes irritability, moodiness, impatience and the lack of concentration and focus. If you try to observe your family or the people you work with, you will realize that they are often more aggressive and less understanding when they have not achieved a restful sleep. More crankiness is expected from those who have not been sleeping soundly for a while. A lot of fights and misunderstandings among couples can also be prevented if only they give importance to their sleep needs.

Cardiovascular Condition And General Health

Hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia (or conditions concerning heartbeat), and raised stress hormone levels are just some of the health-related conditions that chronic sleep deprivation can bring. Aside from that, people who are having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep are also at high risk of developing metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, leukemia and other types of cancer. Lastly, a person who regularly sleeps late may also have an impaired immune system, so he or she is more prone to viral and bacterial diseases like flu, colds and respiratory problems.

General Safety

A person who was unable to sleep soundly the night before usually craves for sleep the following day. This tendency to sleep even while doing important activities can be a major cause of accidents and mistakes, including medical mishaps, and road and air traffic accidents. Some factory employees even lost limbs and fingers because they have fallen asleep while operating machineries and other industrial equipment. In fact, according to figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 100,000 accidents and 1,550 deaths per year are caused by drowsy and sleepy drivers.

If you have sleep problems, you may try taking natural supplements, such as Somulin, to help get rid of your insomnia safely. For more information, check out