Effects of Insomnia On Both Mind and Body

When someone is suffering the effect of insomnia on a consistent basis the well being of both mind and body suffer greatly. The damage caused by sleeplessness extends beyond just feeling tired and sluggish the next day. Real damage can be done if you have a habit of not getting enough rest or if you suffer from chronic insomnia.

Insomnia effects a number of systems within the body and mind. The obvious effect is that it reduces your energy levels and keeps you from performing at your best the next day. However, the effects of lack of sleep are more than that. Sleeplessness sets you up for increased illness. The body recharges more than our energy when we sleep. It recharges the immune system for one. Sleep is when the body helps restore the immune system to full efficiency...the less sleep we get the harder it is for our bodies to fight off germs. It also prevents the body from dealing with illness effectively resulting in illnesses that take longer to get over.

Insomnia effects our body's ability to heal itself. While the body does perform some healing and restorative functions during the day, it is at night that it really gets busy. Sleep allows the body to focus on the task of repair and replacement for cells and tissue that are damaged or need replacement. When we don't sleep we interrupt that process and make it harder for the body to do this repair work.

Another effect of insomnia is dysfunction in the brain. Brain chemicals can get out of balance as the brain often uses sleep as a time to regenerate. People who suffer from insomnia often suffer from depression or stress to begin with, but a lack of sleep can also create an increase in depression and lower our resistance to stress...which in turn produces more insomnia.

Insomnia effects our ability to perform critical tasks such as drive. Each year thousands if not tens of thousands of accidents happen on the road due to driver fatigue or people falling asleep at the wheel. Studies have shown that driving while lacking sleep produces a similar result in the brain as being under the influence. The effect of insomnia also extends to memory. Sleeplessness retards the ability to form and recall items from memory.

Sleeplessness is not something to take lightly. The effect of insomnia is serious both for the person suffering it and for those around them. The cost to society is nearing $100 million annually. Over 80 million people (between 25% and 30% of the US population) struggle with insomnia. This is a societal problem. We need to encourage people to get lasting help. Changes in diet, sleep habits, stress, etc. are important steps in dealing with the problem. Using dietary supplements to help the body get the nutrients and compounds it needs to properly reduce stress and produce sleep can be helpful and less problematic than drugs. However you go about it, addressing insomnia is critical for the long term health of your body and mind.