What Happens When Your Body Doesn’t Get Enough Sleep?

Introduction

Have you been depriving yourself of one of the most important components of your physical well-being? Have you ever experienced sleep deprivation effects the next day but brushed them off and never paid heed to its after-effects? Are you even aware of what lack of sleep can do to your body in the long-term? 

Lack of sleep not just affects your mental fitness but even your physical well-being. It jeopardizes your personality in various indirect ways. Let us see what it may lead to. 

What Are the Side Effects of Less Sleep?

Although sleep requirement varies with age and individual factors, if you sleep for less than at least 7 to 9 hours a day, you are generally not sleeping adequately. Inadequate sleep may lead to the following: 

1. Memory loss

Lack of sleep negatively affects both short- and long-term memory. 

2. Negative effect on the brain’s functioning capacity

When you deprive your mind and body of enough sleep, your concentration span, creativity skills and problem-solving capacity take a toll¹. 

3. Mood swings

Effects of less sleep lead to erratic mood swings, anxiety, and even depression, in the worst cases. 

4. Accidents and mishaps

One of the major effects of sleeplessness is an increased risk of car accidents and other mishaps, or injuries taking place during the day². 

5. Reduced immunity

Lack of sleep could weaken the immune system and may make you more prone to infections. It may also reduce how well you respond to vaccines³. 

6. Leads to increased risk of some diseases

The risk of high blood pressure may increase when a person does not get enough sleep. Inadequate sleep could also reduce insulin sensitivity and affect blood sugar regulation, increasing the risk of high blood sugar levels and type 2 diabetes⁴. 

7. Weight gain

Lack of sleep leads to weight gain as the chemicals that send signals to your brain that your stomach is full are caught off guard and don’t function properly. As a result, you tend to eat despite already being full^1,3. 

8. Reduced sex drive

Lack of sleep can lower sex drive in some people³. 

What Causes Sleep Deprivation?

Sometimes lack of sleep is related to a much deeper root cause that we may not identify immediately. If you observe a pattern wherein you cannot get enough hours in to make up for your sleep, then it’s important to recognize and act on the reasons that may be keeping you from leading a healthy lifestyle. Here are some of the most common reasons causing sleep deprivation: 

• Tight Deadlines, Night Shifts, Performance Pressure at Work: More often than not, we over-promise and take up more responsibility at work than we know we are capable of handling at that point in time. While the results of overworking yourself may not show up immediately, it will take a toll on your mental, emotional and physical health eventually.   
• Chronic Mental Illnesses: Depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses are some of the major contributing factors impacting our sleeping patterns. So, managing them on time is imperative to our overall wellness, as they may affect several areas of our life, including our sleep^3,5.   
• Hunger: Going to bed hungry or not eating enough may make it harder to fall asleep⁶. This could be more common when hunger is uncomfortable or distracting.  
• Constant Use of Electronic Devices: The internet is an addictive place and sometimes no matter how hard we try, we simply cannot get out of it. Constant use of electronics before sleeping can hamper our sleep schedule more than we realise⁷. 
• Coffee consumption: Consuming caffeine makes falling asleep more difficult. In fact, using it to ward off sleep only worsens the situation⁸.  

Decrease in REM (Rapid eye movement) sleep leads to cognitive dysfunction which further leads to memory loss in adults. Similarly in babies and children most of the bodily growth occurs in sleep¹⁰. 

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD(Pediatrics)

What Are the Prominent Signs of Sleep Deprivation?

What are some of the prominent signs that you’re depriving your body of adequate sleep? 

Overworking your body and keeping it deprived of sleep for long leads to obvious signs of fatigue. These are³:

• Constant yawning. 
• Feeling irritable and moody. 
• Feeling fatigued and sleepy during the day. 
• Slow response time and reflexes. 
• Difficulty focusing on tasks. 

Sleeping for at least 6-8 hours is very important for a variety of physical and mental health reasons, especially during night as it helps synchronise the circadian rhythm of your body with the environment¹¹. 

Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D. in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology

How to Catch Up on Lost Sleep?

If not getting sleep is a perpetual habit that troubles you, you need to find a way out to make up for your backlog of sleep in order to stay away from weariness, health problems and other related issues. 

Now the question here is how to do this. While catching up on all your sleep is not something you can achieve overnight, a proper routine can help you get back on track in just a few weeks. 

You can do this by adding an extra hour or two to your daily quota of sleep. Also, do not keep yourself awake deliberately. Avoid having large meals before dinner⁹ and go to bed as soon as you start feeling tired or sleepy. Make sure your bedding and room atmosphere are comfortable for sleeping. While you might end up sleeping for 10 hours as a result of the initial phases, your routine will reach normalcy in a while. 

Also Read: Tips To Sleep Better At Night

Conclusion

Chronic insufficient sleep can be associated with adverse metabolic, cardiovascular, cognitive and mental-health outcomes. Having known the possible side effects of less sleep, make sure that you’re not deliberately awake way past your bedtime, inviting these long-term health problems. Go to bed and wake up on time to remain active all day and keep health issues at bay. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

References

1. Ramos AR. Sleep Deprivation, Sleep Disorders, and Chronic Disease. Prev Chronic Dis. 2023;20. doi:10.5888/pcd20.230197 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10487788/

2. Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency – How Sleep Affects Your Health. NHLBI, NIH. June 15, 2022. Accessed September 9, 2026. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation/health-effects 

3. Sleep deprivation. Accessed September 9, 2026. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/sleep-deprivation 

4. Direksunthorn T. Sleep and Cardiometabolic Health: A Narrative Review of Epidemiological Evidence, Mechanisms, and Interventions. Int J Gen Med. 2025;18:5831-5843. doi:10.2147/IJGM.S563616  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41035532/

5. Ramos AR. Sleep Deprivation, Sleep Disorders, and Chronic Disease. Prev Chronic Dis. 2023;20. doi:10.5888/pcd20.230197 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10487788/

6. Gomes S, Ramalhete C, Ferreira I, Bicho M, Valente A. Sleep Patterns, Eating Behavior and the Risk of Noncommunicable Diseases. Nutrients. 2023;15(11):2462. doi:10.3390/nu15112462  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37299426/

7. AlShareef SM. The impact of bedtime technology use on sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness in adults. Sleep Sci. 2022;15(Spec 2):318-327. doi:10.5935/1984-0063.20200128  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8906383/

8. Chaudhary NS, Grandner MA, Jackson NJ, Chakravorty S. Caffeine consumption, insomnia, and sleep duration: Results from a nationally representative sample. Nutr Burbank Los Angel Cty Calif. 2016;32(11-12):1193-1199. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2016.04.005 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27377580/

9. Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency – Healthy Sleep Habits. NHLBI, NIH. March 24, 2022. Accessed September 9, 2026. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation/healthy-sleep-habits 

10. Hyndych A, El-Abassi R, Mader EC Jr. The Role of Sleep and the Effects of Sleep Loss on Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Processes. Cureus. 2025 May 16;17(5):e84232. doi: 10.7759/cureus.84232. PMID: 40525051; PMCID: PMC12168795. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12168795/

11. Desai D, Momin A, Hirpara P, Jha H, Thaker R, Patel J. Exploring the Role of Circadian Rhythms in Sleep and Recovery: A Review Article. Cureus. 2024 Jun 3;16(6):e61568. doi: 10.7759/cureus.61568. PMID: 38962617; PMCID: PMC11221196. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11221196/

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