Sleep is an important part of our health and life, and not getting proper sleep can cause various problems in our lives. After hectic schedules and enormous work loads, people require a full 8 hours of sleep. In between work, commuteing trips, family, and household chores, sound sleep is not possible. Lack of sleep can greatly impact your health.

Common sleep disorders:

Sleep disorder is a condition in which a person is not able to get proper sleep and, as a result, can cause daytime sleepiness and dysfunctions in various activities. An estimated 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders. Some of the disorders of sleep include:

• Sleep apnea– Sleep apnea is regarded as a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep. Two types of sleep apnea are obstructive and central. Basically, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is more common as compared to the other one. This problem is caused by a blockage of the airways at the back of the throat. In central sleep apnea (CSA), the brain fails to tell the body to breathe.
• Insomnia- Insomnia is a type of sleep disorder in which people have difficulty in falling asleep. Having daytime problems such as sleepiness, mood swings, fatigue, and concentration problems are some of the common symptoms that are caused by insomnia. Generally, insomnia condition is only justified by how long it lasts and how often it occurs. An estimated 50 percent of adults experience occasional bouts and 1 in 10 suffers from chronic insomnia.
• Sleep deprivation- This sleep disorder is a condition of not having enough or proper sleep and can be either acute or chronic. It has been reported that many Americans are sleep deprived and may experience fatigue, clumsiness, and weight gain or loss. Moreover, sleep deprivation adversely affects the brain and cognitive functions. Chronic sleep deprivation seriously affects memory, coordination and attention. Some other consequences also includes mood swings and inability to concentrate.

Sleep disorders may affect person’s ability to carry on proper activities. Sleep deprivation also affects person’s memory, appearance, weight and overall health. Moreover, there are various other disadvantages of lack of sleep, which are as follows:

• Decreased performance and alertness- Sleep deprivation may lead to significant reductions in performance and alertness. It has been reported in various researches that if a person reduces his/her night time sleep by one and a half hours for just one night, then it could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by 32%.
• Less sleep causes accidents- Deprivation in sleep is regarded as one of the biggest disaster factors in history. It is fact that lack of sleep affects your safety every day on the road. Less sleep at night causes drowsiness next day, which is enough for slowing down your driving time, which is equivalent when you are drunk while driving. A study conducted by a university of America shows that fatigue causes 100,000 car accidents and 1,500 deaths a year in the United States alone.
• Decreased optimism and sociability- A proven fact in various studies is that sleep deprivation makes people less hopeful and less friendly.
• Lack of sleep causes depression- Sleep deprivation significantly increases symptoms of depression. A research conducted on various people who suffered from anxiety or depression was asked to calculate their sleeping habits. This research revealed that most of these patients slept less than six hours at night.
• Skin damage- Lack of sleep results in puffy eyes and sallow skin. If you do not get proper sleep at night, then it will damage your skin by producing more hormone cortisol, which breaks down the protein in the skin that keeps it elastic and smooth. Moreover, if a person is a regular partner of sleep loss, then skin damage may become permanent and dark circles under the eyes develop.
• Forgetfulness- Sleep deprivation leads to forgetfulness. American and French researchers explain that brain events known as “sharp wave ripples” help in consolidating memory and make things easier to access and recall. Sharp wave ripples transfer short term information into the neocortex and hippocampus where they become long-term knowledge and this transference occurs during the sleep cycle. So, cutting out a lot of deep sleep can hurt long term memory, leading to excessive forgetfulness.
• Losing sleep makes you gain weight- Lack of sleep leads to an increase in hunger and appetite, and possibly obesity. It has been published in a study, that people who sleep less than six hours a day are 30 percent more at risk of being obese than those who sleep seven to nine hours.
• Reduce libido or sex desire- It is a fact that lack of sleep reduces libido and leads to sexual dysfunction. These risks happen due to the depletion in energy, drowsiness, and rising tension. A report published in the journal showed that almost all people who suffer from sleep apnea have lower testosterone levels.
• Serious health problems- Chronic stages of sleep deprivation increase the risks of heart diseases, high blood pressure, heart attacks, heart failures, stroke, and diabetes.

Various natural aids to beat insomnia:

It’s not a matter of concern that you suffer from occasional sleepless nights, but it will be a matter of concern if insomnia impairs daily functioning. Basically, insomnia is the inability to sleep. Below are various natural aids that may help you:

• Meditation- Meditation is the best regular practice, which may help people in promoting their sleep by slowing breathing and reducing stress hormone levels. Meditation is a technique through which helps in relaxing the body, and calming the mind. People can perform some types of meditation, which include vispassana meditation, yoga nidra, or body scan.

• Yoga– Yoga is a basic and simple process of reversing the ordinary outward flow of energy. It helps in relaxing and healing the body, which helps people in their sleep efficiency.
• Food and diet- You can increase your levels of sleep by cutting down the intake of caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine because these have a pronounced effect on sleep, causing insomnia and restlessness. Sugar intake can cause uneven blood sugar levels that may disrupt sleep in the middle of the night as the levels of sugar falls in the body. So, to avoid the sleepless night’s problem, you should cut down the sugar intake levels.