Sleep Loss Slowly Destroys You

If you think you are unstoppable by staying up until 3 am every night, then anxiety will give you the real award.

Today I am talking about a very important yet ignored topic! That is, how Sleep Disturbance Destroys You! (How irregular sleep gradually destroys you)

Part-1

As usual, I will start with a case story you can relate to!

Rimi—a working mother. Her battle starts right from the morning! Office all day, looking after the children, housework—everything is over, and in the blink of an eye, 10 pm strikes, you don't realize it! At first, she would think,

"I'm going to sleep! Let's finish these tasks first, it's just a matter of time!"

Thinking like this, the next day's school bags and uniforms of the children are packed, what to take in the tiffin is half-ready, Husband's clothes are ready to be kept, she runs to get her mother-in-law's medicine! When he went to bed with everything in order, it was 2:30 am!

Rimi reassured himself, oh, this and that! This is my habit! I only need 3-4 hours of sleep! I can manage it!

And then what? The cycle continued…

He woke up at 6 am again and did the school-office routine.

Gradually, his sleep started to become less and less chaotic— Staying up at night, getting up suddenly early in the morning, and worrying in the middle of the night. Even the things he used to be able to sleep for a long time, that didn’t happen either!

Rimi thought—the only reason might be stress. It will get better! But can anything get better without his own efforts? Rimi is sitting in a big mess inside! So, whatever happens, after a few weeks, everything changed.

One day, while standing at an office presentation, he suddenly couldn’t speak! His hands were shaking. Chest pounding. Sweating profusely! Never had this happen before! It felt like everyone was watching. And judging!

That night, Rimi couldn't sleep.

Then it started—

• Irritability all day long

• Not being able to concentrate on anything

• Feeling heavy in the head

• Making mistakes in small tasks that never happened before!

• Constant anxiety, a thousand thoughts like what are people thinking, what can't I do, what will happen next!

• Unexplained crying spells! Rimi suddenly wanted to scream and cry! Why is this happening to me? Am I getting sicker day by day? Everything was fine! I saw the doctor a few days ago, and none of the reports were bad!

One morning, he suffered a severe panic attack. He was having trouble breathing, and his chest was getting heavy.

What the doctor found out was beyond Rimi's imagination—

Major Depressive Disorder with Anxiety symptoms — triggered by Chronic Sleep Disturbance.

Rimi's story is no different.

There are thousands of such rhymes around us—

For those who don't know, sleep disturbance is actually the most silent and terrible trigger of mental disorders.

How does it kill you from the inside?

1. Emotional Dysregulation

When sleep is lacking, the amygdala of the brain becomes overly reactive.

As a result:

• Excessive anger

• Mood swings

• Emotional sensitivity occurs

• Disproportionate reactions to small events increase!

2. Brain Fog & Cognitive Decline

Sleep disturbance directly weakens the prefrontal cortex.

As a result:

• Attention decreases

• The tendency to forget increases

• Decision-making becomes weak

• Productivity decreases significantly!

3. Anxiety Increases

Extreme and chronic Sleep loss affects the “HPA axis”.

(HPA axis stands for Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal axis. This is the body's stress response system, which controls how our body reacts to stress.)

Results:

• Constant worry

• Chest tightness is felt

• Restlessness occurs

• Intrusive thoughts keep coming!

4. Depression Triggers

Chronic sleep disturbance can also trigger depression! This results in:

• Loss of interest in daily life activities

• Fatigue

• Hopelessness

• Constant low mood

• Crying spells

5. Hormonal Imbalance

When sleep is poor, serotonin, cortisol, and melatonin—all become imbalanced.

As a result, mood, appetite, and energy are all lost.

6. Physical Damage

• High blood pressure

• Headaches

• Weakened immunity

• Chronic fatigue

These all accelerate mental illness tremendously.

7. Panic Attack Risk

Sleep disturbance makes the nervous system hyper-aroused.

As a result, the risk of a panic attack increases.

Last but not least, this bad sleep habit opens the door to many mental illnesses!

If chronic sleep disturbance is not caught or ignored for 3–6 months, it can take the form of—

• Major Depressive Disorder

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder

• Panic Disorder

• Somatic Symptom Disorder

• A Psychological Disorder like Burnout Syndrome!

So, Sleep disturbance is not a small problem.

It silently breaks people—mind, brain, behavior, relationships—everything. Check if your sleep routine is okay.

Next, I will write about how to maintain Healthy Sleep Hygiene!

Let's not let small problems grow! A beautiful lifestyle will keep you safe in many ways!

I am by your side 🙏