A fascinating digital model shows what society will look like in 2050 if we don’t start having enough eyes.
‘Hannah’, created by Bensons for Beds and sleep expert Dr Sophie Bostock, reveals the changes our bodies undergo when we get just six hours of sleep each night.
Hannah, a 45-year-old Brit from the future, has constant back pain, thinning hair, pale skin, swollen legs and red, swollen eyes.
They also suffer from muscle wasting in their arms and legs and are very sick flu due to a weakened immune system.
Because of our modern and busy lifestyle preoccupied with cell phones into the small hourspeople may be losing more sleep than ever before.
So by 2050, lack of sleep will cause an increase in health problems like Hannah’s.
In general, experts recommend that adults get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night – and adults who sleep less than 7 hours are at risk for their health.
According to this year’s survey, nearly Brit he only sleeps 6 hours and 20 minutes every night.
Bensons for Beds and sleep expert, Dr Sophie Bostock has predicted how our bodies will look and feel by 2050 if we continue to be sleep deprived.
Hana suffers from back pain, weight loss, weak skin, swollen legs, gray eyes and muscle weakness in her arms and legs.
Hannah’s design is based on 19 research papers published since 2010 examining the effects of sleep on the body.
‘Hannah is a fascinating example of how sleep can affect your health,’ said Dr Bostock.
‘Most of us don’t realize that random daily activities and lack of sleep disrupt our circadian rhythms, the 24-hour cycles that drive our bodies.’
Fortunately, research on the importance of consistent, good sleep for health and well-being has increased dramatically over the past few decades, according to experts.
Studies show that long periods of sleep can put you at greater risk for heart-related conditions – including obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
MailOnline takes a look at all of Hannah’s life-threatening illnesses – and how you can avoid looking like her by 2050.
BULGING TUMMY
Hannah represents the 45-year-old in 2050, which means that she is now a 20-year-old who is starting her terrible insomniac journey.
He also has short-term and long-term memory loss and a weakened immune system, making him more vulnerable to respiratory illnesses such as colds and flu.
In 2050, lack of sleep made Hannah too tired to exercise and after a while, she stopped exercising, causing her to gain weight around her stomach.
In addition, less sleep has also affected Hannah’s leptin and ghrelin hormones, which regulate hunger and satiety.
Without enough sleep, your brain decreases leptin (which your body produces to help you maintain a healthy weight) and increases ghrelin (which stimulates appetite).
An excess of these hormones can explain nighttime seizures or why someone overeats at night.
MEMORY CHANGE
Sleep deprivation affects a small part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is important for forming new memories.
When you sleep, your brain makes connections that help you process and remember new information – a process called ‘consolidation’.
Sleep provides ‘good conditions’ for integration by providing periods of reduced ‘external stimulation’ – in other words the desires of waking life.
Also, sleep increases the amount of neurotransmitters – chemicals that allow neurons to communicate throughout the body.
So Hana’s lack of sleep means she has less time to connect, which messes with her short-term and short-term memory.
According to this year’s survey, the average Brit gets just 6 hours and 20 minutes of sleep each night (file image)
Sleep deprivation affects a small part of the brain called the hippocampus (described in digital terms) that is important for forming new memories.
FIBER AND EYES GROUP
It’s not called ‘beauty sleep’ for nothing, because a lack of shut-eye can significantly reduce the elasticity of our skin and make us look older.
When we sleep, we make collagen, a protein that helps keep the skin smooth and the original layer of skin.
Sleep disturbances are also linked to the body’s overproduction of the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol, which increases alertness and alertness.
Lack of sleep can also lead to fatigue, puffiness and red eyelids, as well as dark circles and wrinkles under the eyes, which are also thought to be caused by the loss of collagen.
SLEEPING IN THE LEGS
Lack of sleep can increase levels of stress hormones like cortisol, which are linked to heart disease.
Hannah has a heart condition, which affects her early life – one of the symptoms is swollen ankles.
The body produces cortisol from the adrenal glands, located above the kidneys
Heart disease reduces blood pressure around the body and causes fluid to build up in the feet, ankles and legs.
Also, heart failure causes the body to lose sodium, which also causes abnormal inflammation.
THE BEST PAIN
Lack of sleep causes Hana’s back and shoulder pain, while the pain prevents her from sleeping – leading to terrible ‘dizziness’.
During sleep, the body produces a large amount of hormones.
In addition, lack of sleep causes certain parts of the brain to be associated with pain signals – which causes the body to experience more pain.
Sleep loss is also a cause of muscle atrophy – the thinning of muscles – because it prevents the production of hormones involved in muscle building.
Being empty every day has caused Hannah to gain muscle mass and her arms and legs are shrinking in size and shape.
Alopecia is the common medical term for hair loss. It is most often seen on the scalp, but can occur anywhere on the body
GO HAIR
Lack of sleep means Hannah has started to lose hair, known as alopecia, which can lead to baldness.
Lack of sleep is thought to restrict blood flow to the scalp, depriving hair of the nutrients and oxygen it needs to grow properly.
Besides getting seven to nine hours of sleep every night, tips to avoid looking like Hannah include waking up at the same time every day – even on weekends.
Also, we should exercise for at least 150 minutes or exercise for 75 minutes a week, drink plenty of water, use a good and comfortable mattress, and spend as much time in the sun during the day as possible.
“Hannah knows what can happen to someone if they do anything wrong with a poor sleep and mattress support,” said Lisa Richards, sales director at Bensons.
‘Of course, he’s not representative of all Brits, but the reason we wanted to create this model was to make people think more seriously about how they sleep.
‘Using these images makes it easier for people to identify the story and the main characters.’
