It only takes three consecutive nights of sleep loss for mental and physical well-being to deteriorate dramatically. This is shown by a new American study published on July 5 in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. According to experts, bad nights can lead to feelings of anger, nervousness, irritability or even respiratory problems, body aches and gastrointestinal upset.
Three consecutive nights of sleep loss is enough to deteriorate mental and physical well-being
We know that good sleep is an indicator of mental and physical well-being. Researchers at the University of South Florida in the United States have shown that a succession of three bad nights has serious consequences on health. Published on July 5 in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, the study was based on an analysis of the sleep of 2,000 healthy adults who were asked to rate their psychological and physical state after eight bad nights. According to experts, a bad night is a night in which an individual sleeps less than six hours.
After a week of experience, experts were able to observe that the greatest increase in symptoms appeared after just one night of sleep loss. But the number of mental and physical problems continued to worsen thereafter, before reaching a worrying peak on the third day. Finally, participants reported that the severity of physical symptoms was at its peak on the sixth day.
According to lead author of the study Soomi Lee, assistant professor in the School of Aging Studies at the University of South Florida: “ Many of us think we can pay off our sleep debt on weekends and be more productive on weekdays. However, the results of this study show that just one night of sleep loss can significantly affect your daily functioning. “.
Symptoms observed during a lack of sleep
Following their lack of sleep, survey participants reported an accumulation of feelings of anger, nervousness, loneliness, irritability and frustration. As for the consequences on physical well-being, they mentioned physical problems, such as respiratory problems, aches and pains, gastrointestinal disorders. Symptoms that remained high after each bad night and that faded in the participants who were able to find a night’s sleep of at least 6 hours.
For Soomi Lee, poor sleep tends to be cumulative and habit-forming. In addition, the less you sleep, the more your body gets used to settling for minimal sleep. The consequence of this is to create a vicious circle which continues to worsen and to promote long-term sleep disorders.
