Chronic insomnia doesn't just show up on your face;
    it also shows up in your body.       Flickr photo/ignote

Scientists continue to research the effects of sleep deprivation on humans, and the results are enough to make you toss and turn! Here are just a few of the recent findings about consistent lack of sleep:

It can lead to diabetes

The American Heart Association announced results of a recent study that determined "people who sleep less than six hours a night appear to have a higher risk of developing impaired fasting glucose — a condition that can precede type 2 diabetes."

It can raise your blood pressure

Another recent study found a link between lack of sleep and high blood pressure. For every hour less than eight of missed sleep, odds of developing the condition rose an average 37 percent over five years, for the adults in the study. Skipping two hours of sleep raised the blood pressure risk 86 percent. 

Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke, heart failure or kidney failure, according to the American Heart Association.

It can make you fat

Researchers have also found a link between lost sleep and gained weight. Participants in one study  who slept six hours per night were 27% more likely to become obese than those sleeping seven to nine hours; people getting five hours of sleep per night were 73% more likely to become obese; and those with only two to four hours of sleep per night were 67% more likely to become obese.

The scientists theorized that this is a biological remnant of our primitive past: Humans may have evolved to store fat in summer, which has short nights and plentiful food, to prepare for winter's long nights and historically scarcer food supply. Thus, "sleeping less could serve as a trigger to the body to increase food intake and store fat," said researcher James Gangwisch.

It can make you vulnerable to cancer

Yet another recent study linked loss of sleep to increased cancer risks.

And here's the scary part: Even for those who take precautions and preventive actions that have been proven to lower cancer risks (such as exercising and eating right), inadequate sleep seems to counteract those benefits.

Of course, more research needs to be done to figure out just why sleep deprivation makes people more susceptible not only to these and other diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease -- not to mention a host of physical and emotional problems such as fatigue, nightmares and depression. 

But, regardless of the exact causal link, the bottom line is still the same: Don't shirk on the shut-eye! Aim for at least seven hours a night.

So, how can you get a good night's sleep? Read Part II of this article to get some tips.