For some reason, staying up late and pulling all-nighters have become increasingly common in today’s culture. While there are many reasons behind this, there are particularly notorious ones. It could be your social media that you want to check every minute, your slew of chat rooms for different topics or your favourite Netflix show. Of course, there are other (slightly better) reasons, such as homework or projects that had to be done. 

Whatever reason you may have, one thing is for certain: you have gotten used to yawning in the morning as a consequence. 

However, you should know that pulling all-nighters does more to your body than making you feel sluggish during the day. In the sections below, you will learn of the many bad things poor sleep can do to you: 

1. It Weakens Your Immune System 

The quality and quantity of your sleep impact your body’s immune response. This is because during your slumber, your body releases proteins called cytokines. These help regulate how your body responds to viruses and infections. 

When you lack enough sleep, your body is not able to produce enough of these proteins as well as antibodies. This means that skipping a whole night’s worth of shuteye is making your body vulnerable to illnesses around you. 

2. It Damages Your Brain 

This statement may sound like an exaggeration, but it’s true! Lack of sleep can not only over-stimulate parts of your brain but it can also cause significant damage to it. 

Moreover, if you’re studying for a major exam, you should know that staying up all night to study (and cram for it) is a bad idea. This is because you are not giving your brain enough time to convert short-term memory into long-term memory. This is usually why you end up forgetting most of the things you studied the night before! 

3. It Makes You Emotional and Impulsive

Studies show that lack of sleep can make people moody. Aside from that, this can also make them transition between positive and negative emotions quickly. Another fact worth noting is that lack of sleep causes decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex. This area of the brain handles decision-making tasks and impulse control. 

Considering all of these, a lack of sleep may lead you to make impulsive decisions—most of which you may regret in the future! 

4. It Makes You Prone to Overeating 

If you’ve been wanting to stay physically fit, you should consider fixing your sleeping schedule ASAP. 

When you’re running low on sleep, your body produces more ghrelin, the hunger hormone. Simultaneously, your body also experiences a decrease in levels of leptin or the satiety hormone. These lead to increased hunger and, eventually, overeating. 

It’s not just overeating you have to worry about, however. When you lack sleep, you also become more attracted to high-calorie foods and tend to ditch healthy ones! 

Conclusion 

Some days, you may feel like staying up late to finish your favourite Netflix series. On other days, you may need to pull an all-nighter to study for a test. However, you should know that cutting your sleep hours can negatively impact your health. Rather than let your body get used to this habit, you must improve your lifestyle and prioritise your shuteye. This will help you keep both your brain and your body healthy!

If you need extra help with your classes or exams, Young Growth Academy has you covered! We offer standard English tutoring in Penrith among other subjects. Through our interactive learning experience, you won’t have to struggle in studying alone and pull all-nighters anymore. Book your free trial today!