Toll of getting just six hours of sleep revealed in horrifying images

Doctors have issued a warning after an illustration revealed what our bodies may look like in 25 years if we regularly don’t get enough sleep.

If there was ever a sign to get your beauty sleep, this is it.

A British bedding and mattress company has teamed up with a self-described “sleep evangelist” to illustrate what our bodies may look like in 25 years if we regularly don’t get enough sleep — and it ain’t pretty.

With help from Dr. Sophie Bostock, Bensons for Beds created dramatic digital renderings of what a female body could look like in 2050 if she typically gets around six hours of sleep a night.

Experts consistently recommend getting seven to nine hours a night - and while most surveys indicate the average Aussie gets around seven, most admit wanting more.

Weight gain — and extra visceral fat — can also be caused by poor sleep.

Too-little sleep can also cause back and shoulder pain — which can lead to poor posture.

And while we all know being tired doesn’t feel good in the short-term, it can also do lasting damage, as illustrated by “Hannah,” Bensons for Beds’ startling model.

Hannah’s features — hunched posture, thinning hair, aged skin — were created using academic studies on the impact of getting too little sleep, and the effects offer a stark warning.

“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,” said Dr. Bostock.

Studies show that not sleeping enough can lead to thinning hair, wrinkles, and under-eye bags.

Sagging skin, baggy eyes, droopy mouths

Research has shown that sleep issues can be to blame for some visible signs of skin ageing. One 2015 study found that people with chronic poor sleep quality had not just more signs of ageing, but also diminished skin barrier function and lower satisfaction with appearance.

Over time, not getting enough sleep — or sleeping badly — can lead to fine lines and wrinkles, red and swollen eyes, under-eye bags, dark circles, and drooping at the corners of the mouth.

Researchers in Stockholm even found that people who don’t get enough sleep were perceived as less attractive and healthy.

Hair

This one’s a two-way street: Sleep disorders have been shown to lead to alopecia, while that alopecia can in turn cause stress and lead to poor sleep.

Poor sleep has been linked to greasier hair, too — our bodies produce more cortisol, the stress hormone, when we don’t get rest, including on our scalps.

Back and shoulder pain

Bad sleep has been repeatedly been associated with back pain — and of course, that pain then makes it harder to get good sleep.

For Hannah, that means an unflattering hunched posture in addition to her pain.

Hannah looks not unlike Gollum from Lord of the Rings.

Without enough rest, people put themselves at risk for a host of health problems.

Stomach

Not getting enough shut-eye has been linked to visceral fat, the belly fat that builds up around vital organs and has been tied to metabolic disease and insulin resistance.

The hormones in charge of hunger, leptin and ghrelin, are also reduced — which means appetite goes up.

Bensons notes that being tired is also a reason someone might exercise less, and for Hannah, that meant she gained “significant weight around her tummy.”

Muscle atrophy and cankles

Continued loss of sleep is a “catabolic stressor,” which means it could lead to metabolic dysfunction and loss of muscle mass.

Even just a few nights of sleep restriction have been shown to decrease muscle protein synthesis rates in men. In Hannah, that’s shown by muscle atrophy in her arms and legs.

Hannah was also given swollen ankles, a sign of heart disease — which can also be caused by bad sleep habits.

Bensons enlisted a doctor to outline some of the ways bad sleep can manifest in the way we look.

Worst case scenario

Not getting enough sleep can also lead to memory loss and poor immunity, meaning a higher likelihood of catching a cold or the flu.

It’s also associated with impaired cognitive functioning, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart and kidney issues, depression, and increased inflammation, which can lead to different kinds of chronic health conditions and diseases.

“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,” said 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.”

This article was originally published by the New York Post and reproduced with permission