It's important to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night to allow our mind and body to rest and relax. However, a lot of people don't get enough sleep every night due to several reasons. Poor sleep has side effects that we may not notice at first, but it could eventually interfere with our daily lives.
Here are the four side effects of poor sleep, according to Medical Daily.
Poor sleep increases sensitivity to physical pain
Researchers at the UC Berkeley recently revealed that not getting enough sleep could amplify the pain-sensing regions in the brain. Participants involved in the study were subjected to increasing heat levels on their leg.
The discomfort was reported at 111 degrees Fahrenheit after a night of enough and adequate sleep, but the threshold declined to 107 degrees Fahrenheit after a night of insufficient sleep. Researchers said lack of sleep reduces the activity in a part of the brain where natural painkillers were released.
Poor sleep reduces emotional empathy
Several studies have already found that not getting enough sleep reduces a person's emotional empathy - either with health care workers or teenagers. This could eventually lead to serious consequences in the workplace, as well as in personal relationships.
A study from the University of Calgary also noted just one night of inadequate sleep causes a person's emotional empathy response to be "blunted". The study authors said participants cared less in emotions of other people when they lack sleep.
Poor sleep can lead to feeling more annoyed and irritated
A 2018 study conducted by the researchers from Iowa State University has found people get more annoyed and irritated when they don't get enough sleep. The finding suggests losing just two to four hours of sleep leads to a reverse effect - meaning a person's distress level heightened over time in response to things like a mildly frustrating sound. The study is also the first one to provide evidence that poor sleep causes anger.
Poor sleep creates a negative effect on social life
Sleep plays an important factor when it comes to the quality of a person's social life. The UC Berkeley researchers demonstrated this in their study, noting we become a social turn-off when we have inadequate sleep, in turn, loneliness kicks in.
According to Matthew Walker, the senior author of the study and a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Berkeley, we don't want to socially interact when we get less sleep. But, he said that one night of good sleep could make you feel more socially confident and outgoing.
