Sleep Deprivation is Snoozing your Life in More Ways than Exhaustion
You think sleep is only about feeling well-rested? Think again. You may be surprised at the many factors involved in the relationship between sleep and health.
The negative effects of sleep deprivation are widely documented and astounding. Check it out:
Weight gain
Individuals who don’t get adequate sleep are more likely to gain weight over time. They tend to make poor diet choices, reaching for sugary and highly caffeinated snacks and beverages, which creates a vicious cycle of unhealthy dependency. They tend to consume an increased amount of calories, particularly high-fat foods consumed later in the evening. Because they are chronically exhausted, they don’t have energy to workout. And perhaps most importantly, when we don’t get adequate sleep, out ability to manage stressors becomes compromised. When we are overly stressed, our cortisol levels spike, which hinders our body’s ability to burn fat and function appropriately.
Lethargy
When we don’t sleep we lack the energy to do most things. We lack the energy to exercise, to work productively or efficiently, to focus, to adequately care for our children, to cook for ourselves or our families. We are simply too tired, tired, tired all of the time.
Increased Stress & Risk of Chronic Disease
Your body is more susceptible to stress without a good night’s sleep. And the effects of stress are innumerable. On top of that, the immune system does not function optimally, and inflammatory proteins and blood sugar levels increase in response to lower levels of insulin being released throughout the night. Chronic sleep deprivation may lead to hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Increased Risk of Accidents and Injuries
When you are exhausted, both physically and mentally, you put yourself at an increased risk of injuries, errors, and accidents. This tired state of mind may lead to mishaps like stubbing your toe, cutting yourself in the kitchen, falling, or getting into a car accident.
Decline in Cognitive Function
There are measurable changes in brain activity that occur after a period of sleep deprivation. When you do not get a sufficient amount of sleep, your mental performance suffers, impairing your ability to process new information and perform more complicated tasks. This may also impact your overall mood, focus, and high-level cognitive function. Sleep loss has been shown to impair decision making, which may lead you to make choices that you wouldn’t make if rested.
Increased Anxiety
Without sufficient rest, you may have trouble keeping your emotions in check. Increased feelings of irritability, anxiety, sadness, and anger are common. You may even find that you are more vulnerable to unprovoked bouts of laughter or tears.
So why is it SO important that we get a quality night’s sleep?
Critical activities occur during the sleep state. Internal organs rest and recover. Tissue repair, muscle growth, and protein synthesis primarily occur during sleep. Hormones that help regulate appetite control, stress, growth, metabolism, and other bodily functions are released. Memory consolidation occurs, allowing for the formation and storage of new memories, which is essential for learning new information.
The health benefits of quality sleep include:
Increased energy to make beneficial lifestyle choices (cooking, exercise, self-care, etc.)
Strengthened immune system
Heightened alertness, focus, and creativity
Improved mood by reducing anxiety, irritability, and mental exhaustion
Increased libido (sex drive)
If you have trouble falling asleep, wake up in the middle of the night, suffer from insomnia, feel exhausted throughout the day or you’re looking to generally improve your sleep as well as implement other healthy habits, schedule your free consultation today!
Jessica Kishpaugh is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist & Life Coach and owner of LoYo Wellness in Bergen County NJ (www.loyowellness.com). Jessica specializes in healthy weight loss, intuitive eating, recovering from emotional eating, stress reduction and mindfulness. For your FREE nutrition breakthrough call, schedule a consultation here.