Harm 1: Sleep disorders accelerate bodily aging.Evidence shows that prolonged sleep deprivation accelerates bodily aging or exhaustion. Chronic sleep insufficiency also threatens health, primarily manifesting as nervous system fatigue, leading to neurasthenia, reduced physical and mental work efficiency, energy depletion, memory decline, dizziness, headaches, blurred vision, tinnitus, and generalized weakness. Severe cases may impair cardiovascular, respiratory, and digestive system functions, ultimately triggering diseases.
Harm 2: Sleep disorders weaken immune system function. Research indicates that the body's primary defense mechanisms strengthen not during wakefulness but during sleep—specifically during deep slow-wave sleep occurring around midnight. Thus, sound sleep in the first half of the night is the optimal prescription for boosting immune function. Chronic sleep deprivation or sleep disorders diminish immune function, paving the way for disease.
Harm 3: Sleep disorders can cause hypertension. Li Haicong indicates that approximately one-third of primary hypertension cases stem from sleep disorders. Individuals with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome are particularly prone to hypertension. A key characteristic is that after a night's sleep, blood pressure not only fails to decrease but often rises above pre-sleep levels, potentially triggering cerebrovascular accidents.In such cases, resolving sleep apnea and hypoxia can control or even cure hypertension.
Risk 4: Sleep disorders trigger diabetes. Studies indicate insomniacs have a higher predisposition to diabetes or a greater incidence rate compared to those with normal sleep patterns. Poor nighttime sleep in diabetics often leads to elevated blood sugar levels the following day.
Risk 5: Sleep disorders induce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.Sleep disorders frequently trigger sympathetic nervous system excitation, mental tension, neuroendocrine dysfunction, and abnormal regulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, increasing renin activity. This leads to elevated blood pressure and cerebral hemorrhage. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome are prone to changes in blood rheology, including increased blood viscosity and platelet aggregation, which can cause thrombosis and trigger ischemic cerebrovascular events.