Here's what happens to your body and brain if you sleep less than 7 hours per night

Sleep deprivation has serious consequences for your brain and body.

About a third of American adults don't get enough sleep, with over a third of them depicting the nature of their sleep as "poor," according to a study undertaken by the CDC in 2016.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recognized that his long work hours were taking a toll on his health and raising worries among his companions.

"It's not been great, actually. I've had friends come by who are really concerned," explained Musk, who has been working 120-hour work week.

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Arianna Huffington even posted an open letter to Musk about his sleep schedule. She told her that he was "demonstrating a wildly outdated, anti-scientific and horribly inefficient way of using human energy."

Numerous studies have suggested that sleep deprivation can increase the risk of cancer, for example, colon and breast cancers.

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin found that poor sleep can also cause chronic skin problems because the skin doesn't mend appropriately from damage when you're exhausted.

In a study by Nature Communications, sleep loss can cause social withdrawal which prompts seclusion and depression.

In another study, adults' short-term memory is affected by lack of sleep.

People who don't get enough sleep have more cravings for unhealthy foods as well.

With sleep deprivation, blood pressure rises which leads to an increase in heart disease risk.

Several studies have discovered that sleep acts as a kind of purifying procedure for the brain, eliminating a beta-amyloid protein that can develop - a protein that is firmly connected with Alzheimer's illness.

There are also reasons to believe that your immune system won't work too, that your developments will be less exact, you'll have slower reactions, be more sensitive and see less plainly.