Sleep deprivation is caused by not getting enough sleep, staying up in the wee hours of the night and continuously being on your technology devices. A recent study shows that every three in four people in the workforce put in more than 40 hours per week. It may seem like your “at home” list never ends and you will forfeit your sleep to get things done. Sleeping in on the weekends may feel comfortable and relaxing, but it will not help you catch up on your overall sleep.
The human body is naturally designed to get adequate rest by naturally moving through sleep cycles. Our bodies take approximately eight hours, or more, to experience this type of deep sleep. According the National Sleep Foundation, on average, Americans sleep just under seven hours per night. This statistic results to be 6.8 hours during the week and 7.4 hours during the weekend. Experts recommend that people get eight hours of sleep per night which means you’re losing one hour of sleep each night.
If we don’t get enough sleep at night, sleep deprivation can be very harmful during the time we are awake. Sleep deprivation can cause the following:
- Accidents
- Diabetes
- Heart failure
- High stress
- Forgetfulness
- Reduced mental performance
- Weight gain
- Anxiety
- Wrinkles
- Increased risk of death
Even though some people think sleeping in on the weekends can help, the fact is, the lack of sleep will catch up to us. Immediate effects will happen if you only get four to six hours of sleep every night. This is a bad habit you do not want to create.
Make sure to try a new schedule of getting enough sleep during the whole week, just not on the weekends. We owe good sleep to our bodies, our brains, and to our families. See us for all of your CPAP masks, CPAP machines, and comfort accessories to help you enjoy a restful night’s sleep every night. Our experts are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST to answer any questions you may have!