Sleep helps the body to renew itself, so a lack of rest can lead to serious health problems in the long run. Insufficient sleep paves the way for infections resulting from a weakened immune system, said professor Oğuz Osman Erdinç of Eskişehir Osmangazi University.

Erdinç said insufficient sleep can be the cause of or result in many systemic illnesses, while noting that more than 80 sleep disorders are known today.

The professor also said sleep allows the body to rest and the brain to recoup, allowing us to store energy for the upcoming day. "Up until recently, sleep was believed to be a passive process. There are some changes in our consciousness, the muscles in our body relax and communication with our environment decreases or stops completely when we sleep. People rest both psychologically and physiologically. Sleep patterns are regulated by a circadian rhythm. There is a close connection between sleep, the immune system and appetites.

Insufficient sleep paves the way for infections, destroying the immune system. While sleep enables us to stem our appetites by causing the secretion of leptin, sleeplessness increases the secretion of the hormone ghrelin, which makes us feel hungrier," he explained.Stressing that higher levels of the hormone ghrelin often leads to overeating, Erdinç added, "Sufficient sleep strengthens our memory, makes us feel more energetic, both physically and mentally, as well as works to decrease systemic illnesses, high blood pressure, embolism, the risk of diabetes and obesity."