We know that lack of sleep is devastating for health. Weight gain, mood disorders, premature aging of cells … Involved in most everyday concerns, it is also involved in certain more severe pathologies: Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, depression. In short, a disaster.
And it’s not over. Because, according to a new study from the University of California (in the United States), lack of sleep would also have (negative) consequences on the social sphere. Very concretely, American researchers have discovered that people who do not get enough sleep are less inclined to reach out to others, have fewer social relationships than average and feel more lonely.
Lack of sleep, a vicious (social) circle
There is worse. According to the researchers (whose work was published in the specialized journal Nature Communications), people in sleep debt would be perceived as “socially repulsive” by the rest of the population, worsening the loneliness experienced.
“The more sleep you get, the less social contact you seek,” the specialists explain. On the other hand, because of your sleep debt, those around you shy away from you. It is a vicious circle that encourages social isolation. “
According to a survey conducted by the National Institute for Sleep and Vigilance (INSV) in April 2017, more than half of French people do not get enough sleep and nearly a third say they suffer from at least one sleep disorder; 16% have chronic insomnia, 73% say they wake up at least once a night for about 30 minutes and 28% doze off during the day.
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