Gregory Robinson
Between screen time, work commitments and the stress of life, it can be hard to get enough shut-eye.
Experts suggest that adults should sleep between seven and nine hours a night, and those who sleep less than seven hours may have more health issues than those who sleep more than seven hours, according to the National Institutes of Health. However, 57 percent of Americans recently said they need more sleep in a 2024 Gallup poll.
A separate analysis by the sleep tracking application Sleep Cycle analysed over 15 million hours of sleep across America, and the findings, which were published in 2023, uncovered that Hawaii, Nevada and Maryland have the worst sleep in the country.
On the flip side, Montana, Colorado and Vermont are the states that are sleeping the best, Sleep Review reports.
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Spending more valuable time sleeping is easier said than done for many people. But a new study on the impact a lack of sleep can have on our bodies may encourage you to go to bed earlier tonight.
A British bedding and mattress company has collaborated with a self-described ‘sleep evangelist’ to create a harrowing 3D model of what our bodies may look like in 25 years if we regularly miss out on sleep.
Bensons for Beds teamed up with Dr. Sophie Bostock to present renderings of what a female body could look like in 2050 if she typically gets around six hours of sleep a night. This is just one hour less than the recommended seven hours.
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It's not just a case of getting more beauty sleep to look more refreshed. Being deprived of sleep can have catastrophic long-term impacts on our body.
The 3D model — named Hannah — has very obvious physical signs of long-term sleep deprivation, with thinning hair, a hunched posture, and aged skin. She was created using academic studies on the impact of losing sleep. These physical markers have also been inspired by how a lack of sleep impacts our health from the inside out.
Dr. Bostock said: “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.”
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A lack of sleep has been linked to visible signs of skin ageing, including sagging skin, baggy eyes, and droopy mouths.
Missing out on sleep can also lead to memory loss and poor immunity, putting you at a higher risk of catching a cold or the flu. It is also linked with impaired cognitive functioning, high blood pressure, diabetes, increased inflammation, depression, and kidney issues.
“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,” explained Lisa Richards, Marketing Director at Bensons.
“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.”
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Right, off to bed then...