The danger of sleep deprivation is the long-term detrimental effects on metabolic health that cannot be quickly compensated by additional sleep, Adam Taylor, Professor and Director of the Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre at Lancaster University told The Conversation, the latter reports.

The scientist noted that adults should aim for more than seven hours’ sleep per night on a regular basis. Chronic inability to get sufficient sleep is associated with increased risk of multiple conditions such as depression, diabetes, obesity, heart attack, hypertension and stroke..

However, the main health risk of lack of sleep is not the presence of such risks, but the long-term negative effect. Recovery from sleep deprivation varies from person to person, with a solid overnight sleep being enough for some to recover. For others it can take days or weeks.

Taylor explained that studies have shown that recovery sleep often doesn’t reverse the metabolic changes that occurred in the body during periods of sleep deprivation. This means that blood sugar levels can remain high even after a person gets enough sleep. The same applies to a decrease in insulin sensitivity, which indicates a disturbance in glucose metabolism.

The scientist added that weight gain can also be a consequence of lack of sleep.