Lack of sleep can interfere with your body in ways you never imagined. It can lower your energy levels, give you a terrible headache, and disrupt your entire day’s schedule. So, can lack of sleep cause nausea? Surprisingly, yes, it can!
Introduction
Being a biological need of the human body, the sleeping routine can either make or break your day. Without fulfilled sleep, even a minor daily task can sound like a laborious chore. The statistics from a research report of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 1 in 3 Americans are sleep deprived. In this blog, we will explore how lack of sleep can cause nausea and other health issues. Along with that, we will learn about ways to prevent, manage, and cure sleep disorders.
Understanding nausea
Precisely, nausea refers to the uncomfortable and sick feeling you get in your stomach just before vomiting. Although nausea is not always followed by vomiting, it can be an uneasy feeling in itself. Apart from lack of sleep, common causes of nausea include food poisoning, diarrhea, stomach flu, pregnancy, and travel sickness. Cohesively, nausea can be a result of other broader health conditions.
Optimal sleep required for different age groups:
- Newborn babies (till 3 months) = 14 to 17 hours
- Infants (from 4 to12 months) = 12 to 16 hours
- Young children (till 5 years of age) = 10 to 14 hours
- School-going children (6-12 years old) = 9 to 12 hours
- Teens (13-18 years old) = 8 to 10 hours
- Adults (18 years or more) = 7 to 9 hours
How can lack of sleep cause nausea?
Sleep deprivation does not directly trigger nausea. Instead, it causes other health problems which subsequently make a person feel nauseous. Scientific research has successfully tracked a prominent link between sleep disorders, inflammation, and gastrointestinal malfunction. To be specific, lack of sleep can cause nausea due to the following health complications:
Inflammation:
Inconsistent sleep maneuvers the activity of a person’s immune system. As a result, there is an increased production of pre-inflammatory proteins known as cytokines. Eventually, this leads to progressive inflammation in tissues across the body, affecting the digestive organs. This inflammatory response triggers nausea. If prolonged, this can lead to other chronic intestinal ailments.
In addition to this, lack of sleep can also cause nausea by hindering the appetite pattern. It makes the patient crave high-energy, caffeinated, or oily foods to balance out the energy deprivation resulting from unfulfilled sleep. This unhealthy diet can lead to further inflammation of the gut lining. Moreover, they also deplete digestive enzyme production and good bacteria.
Gastrointestinal problems:
Poor sleep significantly disrupts the body’s gastrointestinal mechanism. According to research, people who suffer from sleep deficiency have a higher risk of developing intestinal disorders. Not only this, but those who are already diagnosed with such a disorder report a surge in the severity of their condition due to lack of sleep. Following are some examples of digestive disorders which can be triggered by lack of sleep and cause nausea:
- Acid reflux (GERD)
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Peptic ulcer
- Colon cancer
- Bowel inflammation
- Crohn’s disease
- Dyspepsia
- Bloating and indigestion
- Jaundice
- Celiac disease
How to cure nausea from lack of sleep?
Indeed, the feeling of nausea can be very unsettling. Those who suffer from it tend to look for instant solutions to remedy their condition. These are some measures that can be taken to cure nausea from lack of sleep:
- Drinking sufficient water
- Avoiding alcohol and caffeine
- Staying away from foul smells
- Drinking peppermint tea
- Going for a quick walk
- Tasting something sour
- Getting fresh air
- Limiting spicy and fatty food
- Taking ginger tea
- If it’s too intense, consider visiting a doctor
What are the stages of sleep deprivation?
As the time of sleeplessness increases, the symptoms of the condition tend to intensify. These are some stages of sleep deprivation:
- Stage 1: First, it starts after a day of disrupted sleep schedules. 24-hours lack of sleep can cause nausea, headaches, bad mood, drowsiness, and lack of focus.
- Stage 2: Later, as the time with no sleep increases, the situation gets more complex. At this point, people begin to doze off during conversations and feel detached from their surroundings. Also, there is an increase in anger and anxiety levels.
- Stage 3: Afterwards, the condition starts to worsen further, and the body loses significant amounts of energy. After 48 hours (about 2 days) without sleep, people can even start to hallucinate and behave suspiciously.
- Stage 4: Lastly, the final and most dangerous level of sleep deprivation emerges. With three long days without sleep, a person can reach serious levels of fatigue. Additionally, there is a risk of entering into psychosis and paranoia.
Reasons for lack of sleep
Since we are now aware of the answer to our initial question; can lack of sleep cause nausea, it is high time to learn about its reasons.
- Excessive screening before going to bed
- Taking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages at bedtime (this will also help you cure nausea from lack of sleep)
- Feeling stressed or anxious
- Frequent day-time naps
- Uncomfortable sleeping environment
- Sleep disorders like sleep apnea or insomnia
Symptoms of sleeplessness
Initially, we found out that lack of sleep can cause nausea. However, there are several other symptoms that can result from sleep deficiency, i.e.:
- Drowsiness
- Weakness
- Obesity
- Depression
- Cortisol imbalance
- Poor appetite
- Cognitive impairment such as memory loss
- Dermatological irregularities. For example, hair loss and dull skin
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, sleep disorders can also lead to chronic health conditions. For instance, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Also Read: Is Narcolepsy A Disability? A Complex Guide
Conclusion
Sleep is one of the vital regulators of a healthy human body. With a good night’s sleep, people can face the day head on. It revitalizes your body, maintains good health, and keeps you away from anxiety disorders.
Unfortunately, many people around the world cannot get the right amount of sleep that they deserve. Possibly, due to their stressful lives or certain sleep orders. Improper sleeping routines can impose lasting health complications upon the sufferer.
Lack of sleep can cause nausea, fatigue, depression, hallucinations, and other chronic health problems. If you can relate to any of the conditions mentioned above, Home Sleep Center can prove to be beneficial for you. We use the modern technology of telemedicine to provide you with the best sleep treatment modules.
