Balancing screen time, work obligations, and everyday stress can make it challenging to achieve adequate sleep.
Experts recommend that adults aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night. According to the National Institutes of Health, those who sleep less than seven hours may encounter more health problems compared to those who rest longer. Despite this, a recent 2024 Gallup poll revealed that 57 percent of Americans feel they could use more sleep.
In a separate study, the sleep tracking app Sleep Cycle evaluated over 15 million hours of sleep data across the United States. The 2023 findings showed that Hawaii, Nevada, and Maryland have the poorest sleep quality in the nation.
Conversely, states like Montana, Colorado, and Vermont boast the best sleep quality, as reported by Sleep Review.
For many individuals, spending more time sleeping can be challenging. However, new research on the effects of sleep deprivation might prompt you to consider an earlier bedtime tonight.
A British bedding and mattress firm joined forces with a self-proclaimed ‘sleep evangelist’ to develop a striking 3D model that depicts potential bodily changes over 25 years of insufficient sleep.
Bensons for Beds collaborated with Dr. Sophie Bostock to create visuals illustrating what a woman’s body might look like in 2050 if she consistently gets only around six hours of sleep per night, just one hour short of the advised seven hours.
Insufficient sleep can lead to more than just a lack of beauty rest. The long-term physical effects of sleep deprivation can be severe.
The 3D model, named Hannah, shows apparent physical symptoms of extended sleep deprivation such as thinning hair, a stooped posture, and aging skin. This model was developed using academic research on sleep loss impacts. The physical attributes reflect how sleep deprivation affects health from the inside out.
Dr. Bostock commented: “Hannah is a thought-provoking illustration of the holistic impact that sleep has on maintaining overall health. Studies show that prolonged sleep deficiency can put you at a higher risk for conditions that may impact the heart — including obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.”
Lack of sleep has been associated with visible signs of aging, such as sagging skin, eye bags, and drooping facial features.
Missing out on adequate rest can also cause memory issues and weakened immunity, increasing vulnerability to illnesses like colds or the flu. Additionally, it’s associated with impaired cognitive functions, high blood pressure, diabetes, inflammation, depression, and kidney problems.
Lisa Richards, Marketing Director at Bensons, explained: “Hannah is a worst-case scenario prediction of what could happen to somebody if they do everything badly in terms of poor sleep routine and poor mattress support. The reason we wanted to create this model was to make people think more carefully about their overall sleep experience. Using this visual makes it easier for people to identify with the issue and the key signs.”
Time to get some rest, perhaps…