India, March 14 -- Sleep is consistently regarded as the foundational pillar for good health, yet it is the first thing that is sidelined in our daily routine, for both big and small reasons. As World Sleep Day (March 13) just passed by, we take a look at how regularly compromised sleep can make your health take a hit for the worse, impact essential physiological and psychological processes in the body, making it function at a subpar level. Dr Rajmadhangi D, MD, general medicine, warns that sleep deprivation over a long period may result in damaged metabolic functions. For the uninformed, metabolism is an internal process, one of the important ones, which is about how the body converts food and drink into energy. "Sleep deprivation is fuelling metabolic slowdown. Someone who doesn't get enough sleep over a long period of time often struggles to burn calories efficiently or maintain proper energy balance," Dr Rajmadhangi said. The consequences include weight gain and risk of metabolic syndrome. How does lack of sleep disrupt hormones? Did you know you are likely to be hungrier when you are not sleeping enough? The doctor acknowledged that appetite increases. Main reason? The culprit is slowed metabolism, all because of poor sleep, which has a chain effect leading to hormonal imbalance. Describing how poor sleep messes with your hormones and makes you hungrier, the physician described, "The hormone that signals hunger (ghrelin) is elevated, while the hormone that signals satiety (leptin) is reduced; therefore, a person feels hungrier and craves high-calorie foods even more." The other downside is also high blood sugar levels. "The increase in cortisol levels makes the body less sensitive to insulin, so it becomes less efficient at using glucose, and the amount of stored fat increases, which, in turn, elevates blood sugar levels again," the doctor shared, a grim reality check. So occasional late nights may not seem much, but they alter major functions in your body, primarily your metabolic system. What are some long-term risks? The doctor identified major ailments that can develop if one continues to sleep less for a long time. These include insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. He also urged adults to embrace healthy lifestyle habits and curb long working hours, social activities, and screen exposure, as they are major triggers of poor sleep quality....