The Physical Impact of Lack of Sleep

What is sleep deprivation? 

Sleep deprivation can occur when you get a lack of sleep from what your body usually requires. This varies among individuals and takes into account a variety of factors such as the time of year, lifestyle, and diet. Sleep deprivation affects negatively on our learning processes, attention and reaction time - making it difficult and sometimes dangerous to be sleep deprived when we are at work or out in the public domain, for example, driving.  

During sleep, pathways form between nerve cells (neurons) in your brain, which aid in the recollection of new information. This is critical for your health as lack of sleep starves your brain of appropriate rest, making it difficult for you to concentrate - your body's signals may also be delayed, reducing your coordination and making you more vulnerable to accidents.  

There are a number of studies supporting the mental impact of the lack of sleep, however, a recent study focusing on the physical effects, found that sleep deprivation can interfere with other factors such as gait control.  

What is gait control?  

The neurological, musculoskeletal, and cardiorespiratory systems all interact in a sophisticated way that contributes to human gait. Age, cognitive make-up, and social variables all play an influence on an individual's gait pattern.  

Your central nervous system is your body's dominant information highway. Getting the right amount of sleep is crucial for your body to function correctly, physically and mentally. Gait is a broad subject, referring mostly to the physical wellbeing of an individual - there are a number of factors that make up a person's gait control. These include: 

Gait analysis 

If you’ve ever run a mile in running shoes, then you may have heard of the term gait analysis as it is used to measure a runners degree of pronation with the correct shoe type - measuring pronation results in less chance of injury and more efficient running.  

Gait analysis is a physical examination in which a doctor will study the way a person walks or runs. By identifying an individual’s distinctive movements, specialists can determine their gait patterns and diagnose difficulties that might be causing a patient discomfort. These analyses’ are important in order to evaluate treatments and remedy irregularities.  

Gait speed 

Simply put, gait speed is measured in the amount of time it takes to walk a certain distance on flat ground over a short distance. The preferred walking pace of older patients is a sensitive indicator of overall health and survival - good cognitive control is required for safe walking. Gait abnormalities result in a loss of personal freedom, falls, and injuries, as well as a significant decline in life quality.  

Gait control and sleep 

Conducted by researchers at MIT and the University of São Paulo in Brazil, a study reports that lack of sleep can influence walking, specifically, how effectively we can manage our stride, or gait. In tests with student volunteers, the researchers discovered that the less sleep students had, the less control they had while walking on a treadmill. 

To begin with, each student was given a watch to log their activities over the course of 14 days - this gave researchers an idea of when and for how long students slept and were active throughout the day. Each student slept roughly six hours per day on average, while some students made up for it by sleeping in on the two weekends throughout the 14-day span. 

Split off into groups, on the evening of the 14th day, one set of students stayed awake all-night in the sleep lab, whilst another group did not. The next day, while researchers played a metronome, all students walked on a treadmill set at the same speed. When comparing students who did not stay up all night before the test to those who did, the researchers discovered an unexpected difference: students who compensated and got somewhat more sleep on weekends performed marginally better, even when the test was taken at the end of the week. 

Whilst the act of walking was originally thought to be a completely automatic action that required very little conscious, cognitive control, the study revealed that gait is not an automated process and that sleep loss can impact it. 

Other physical factors affected by sleep deprivation  

Can lack of sleep make you physically ill? In short, it can, because it interferes with your sleep pattern and your body's central nervous system. The central nervous system is imperative to maintain good health - so it is important to perpetuate a healthy lifestyle, which includes being aware of your sleep wellness. Other physical factors could include:  

Weight gain 

Not getting a sufficient amount of sleep can lead to weight gain - this is down to having less energy throughout the day, which can cause a person to overeat to feel more alert. Unfortunately, the overconsumption of calories will add to weight gain if this is a repeated pattern. The other reason that you may gain weight from lack of sleep is due to the metabolism slowing down and relying on stored food resources.  

Skin ageing 

Usually, when someone has ‘woken up on the wrong side of the bed’, it is obvious - with black circles, typically known as bags, under the eyes and a look of general tiredness and irritability. However, with long term sleep deprivation, these features can become accentuated and cause the skin to look dry with wrinkles forming and bloodshot eyes.  

Poor sleep is linked to an increase in the so-called stress hormone, cortisol, which breaks down collagen, harming the skin and increasing ageing. This hormone is also linked to skin inflammation, another cause of your skin losing its elasticity. 

If you've been suffering from sleep deprivation for a long time, you should see your doctor or another qualified medical practitioner. Physicians can provide vital information about sleep health and hygiene, as well as perform tests to determine whether or not you have a sleep disorder. 

Sleep hygiene  

In order to overcome sleep deprivation, in simple terms, you must get more sleep each night. One way you can practise getting more sleep is by having a regimented bedtime routine as well as understanding sleep hygiene habits.  

Bedtime and wake-up rituals, as well as your diet, physical activity, and other components of everyday life, all have an impact on sleep quality and duration. Other factors that need to be considered in order to improve your sleep hygiene include:  

• Consistent sleep schedule:
• Prioritising sleep:
• Responsible napping:
• Familiar bedroom environment:
• Healthy habits: