Do you get enough sleep? Do you wake up feeling refreshed most days? Or, are dragging yourself out of bed and feeling that mid day slump most days of the week? I get it, we all have way too many things to do and too little time to get it all done. But, are we doing ourselves any favors by sacrificing sleep tp fit more into our schedules? Probably not, in fact we’re probably just making things worse.
Not getting the sleep you need can affect all areas of your life from productivity, relationships, and both short and long term mental and physical health.
Sacrificing Sleep and Mental Health
So, you are getting up early and going to bed late to get more things accomplished, right? In reality you’d probably be more productive if you would’ve slept longer. You’d have a more clear, focused, and alert mind. This can help you organize your thoughts and use your time more efficiently. We often make mistakes when we’re tired too, so you’ll save yourself the frustration and wasted time you’d need to fix those mistakes (if fixing them is even possible).
Lack of sleep for many of us doesn’t make us the best company to be around either. It tends to make us a little moodier and grumpier. When we physically don’t feel good, it’s hard to have a positive attitude. We snap at our kids and maybe even our spouses and coworkers.
Messing up at work, not getting things done, and having less than optimal interactions with the people that matter in our lives can lead to extra stress, depression and lack of confidence.
If that isn’t bad enough, you also need to consider what it does for long term cognitive health. If you’re consistently not getting enough sleep, then you’re also increasing your risk for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia. Getting enough quality sleep allows your body to flush out the harmful toxins and plaques from your brain that lead to these diseases.
Physical Affects of Sleep Deprivation
Many people deal with lack of sleep by consuming things to make them more alert (coffee, caffeinated sodas, energy drinks, etc). While these things might help for short periods, they’re just a band-aid for the symptoms of lack of sleep and not solving the problem. Plus, putting extra chemicals in our bodies is not the healthiest choice. We often get addicted to these things and end up feeling horrible when we don’t have them, even if we did get enough rest. Plus, our bodies get used to a certain level of caffeine and we need more and more to get the same effects as time goes on. Too much caffeine isn’t good for you. Neither are the extra empty calories we take in, depending on the caffeinated beverage you choose.
Even if you’re not drinking sugary caffeinated drinks, the lack of sleep will make you want to eat more. When you don’t get enough sleep your body releases more ghrelin (the hormone that tells you that you’re hungry) and less leptin (the hormone that tells you that you’re full). So, not getting enough rest causes you to physically feel more hungry, which for most people will lead them to eat more. Not only will you feel hungrier, but you’ll probably eat less healthy because sleep deprivation also makes us crave “junk food”. This is because of the reaction of certain hormones associated with sleep deprivation.
Now you’re tired, you’re craving sugary and fatty foods and to top it off, your inhibitions are lowered too because your tired brain can’t muster up the willpower to overcome those cravings.
Lack of Sleep Leads to Obesity
If you’ve been following along so far, you can see that lack of sleep leads to an unhealthy diet and overeating. This not what most people are looking for, most of us would rather eat healthy and not put on extra weight. If you don’t get enough sleep your own body will be working against you and your goal to either maintain or shed some extra weight. Did you know that lack of sleep could be the reason that you’re unable to achieve the weight you want long term?
Studies have shown that sleeping less than 6 hours a night is the greatest risk factor for obesity. This even takes into consideration peoples nutrition choices. I don’t know about you, but if I had to choose between getting enough sleep and working harder on eating healthier, I’d go for the sleep. Do both, and imagine the impact it could have on your health.
How Much is Enough?
In general it’s recommended that adults get between 7-9 hours of sleep most nights of the week. Everyone is different of course, so the best way to know is to pay attention to how much sleep it takes you to wake up feeling rested. Whatever that times is for you, try to get that much a majority of the time. Getting one less hour of sleep might not seem like that much, but think about it. If you went to bed one hour early every night for one week, you’d get a whole extra night’s worth of sleep every week. That’s an extra 364 hours in a year!
We all need sleep, it’s a basic human necessity, so it makes sense that our minds and bodies don’t function properly when we deprive ourselves of it. Sleep is when our body heals and rejuvenates itself. It’s required for overall health and wellness and shouldn’t be discounted.
It’s hard to believe that one little thing like sleep can have such a huge impact on our lives, but we can’t deny it. Do you consistently get enough sleep? If not, hopefully you’ll start making it more of a priority. It might take some time to get into the habit of going to bed earlier, but it’s worth the effort. You might even need to set an alarm to remind yourself to go to bed at a certain time every night until it becomes part of your normal routine.
Or maybe, you try to go to sleep at a decent time, but you have trouble getting to sleep and/or staying asleep. If that’s the case check out my tips on how to make it easier to get more and better quality sleep.
I’d love to hear about your experiences with getting enough sleep or not. How has it affected your life? Have you made a change and seen the impact? Let me know in the comments below!
If you want to find out more simple ways to improve your health feel free to book a call.
