Inadequate Sleep of Less than Eight Hours Can Make Look Old Plus other Body Ripple Effect -Unique Experiment Reveals

   

Sarah Chalmers (pictured) took part in a sleep deprivation study which aimed to discover the effects reduced sleep can have on the mind and body.
 
 For this experiment, Sarah had to spend a week getting by on just six hours sleep a night. Beforehand she had her skin quality analysed by a facial scan. The same scan was done after the study was complete. Sarah found that her pores had doubled in size, her face had reddened and she even developed some spots on her chin, showing the effect minimal sleep can have on the body. 
 

I look much older than my 46 years. My eyes have dark rings underneath and my skin is lacklustre, with pores so enlarged I can see them from a distance. To top it all off, a couple of spots are beginning to develop on my chin.

 

Worse still: this is not an isolated incident. For days now, I’ve been forgetful, as well as clumsy and easily upset. And all because I’ve spent the week getting by on six hours sleep a night — just as thousands of other women do.

 

To make matters worse, Dr Guy Meadows confirms my worst fears: ‘You can’t repair a sleep debt by having loads more sleep the next day. Your daytime activities are like a house party, and after every one of those you need a clean-up operation to remove the toxins amassed during the day.

 

‘When our sleep is restricted we are pushed into the most primitive part of our brain, the amygdala, where base emotions lie. This is why we often experience increased anger, sadness and irritation.

‘One of the long-term consequences of restricted sleep is an increase in hunger,’ adds Dr Meadows. Our sleep activates two hormones — one that regulates the feeling of fullness and the other is linked to appetite.

 

‘That is why sleep is such an important component of the obesity crisis, particularly among the young — British schoolchildren are the sixth most sleep-deprived in the world.’

 

A lack of sleep also has an impact on our immune system, leaving us more vulnerable to infection. ‘And our looks are compromised by a drop in collagen production brought on by a surge in cortisol which the body releases when it is stressed — and sleep deprivation is a form of stress,’ says Dr Meadows.

 

 

This research was carried out by Bensons For Beds in partnership with the Sleep School. Visit bensonsforbeds.co.uk/sleep-school