Don’t Get Enough Sleep We all know that sleep is important for our overall health. But maybe you haven’t taken the time to fully understand why—or what—the consequences of not getting enough sleep are. A bad night’s sleep may not seem like a big deal, but if this pattern continues, you might be surprised how much negativity it can bring into your life. Getting enough sleep is important for maintaining physical and mental health, says Sanam Hafeez, PsyD, a neuropsychologist. “Chronic sleep deprivation can seriously affect your well-being.
We enlisted the expertise of Hafeez and clinical psychologist Shelby Harris, PsyD, to better understand what happens when you Don’t Get Enough. Keep reading to find out why those eight hours are so important.
How to Manage the Effects of Not Getting Enough Sleep
Your Immune System is weakened:
Your health is closely related to how well you sleep. “When we sleep, our immune system produces certain proteins and antibodies that we need to help fight off diseases or infections,” Harris explains. “If you are sleep deprived or do not get enough sleep, your immune system produces fewer disease-fighting cells.” This can cause your immune system to malfunction and raise your chances of getting sick.” “It’s important to prioritise sleep as part of your overall health and wellness routine to help keep your immune system functioning properly,” Hafeez adds.
Your Disease Risk Increases :
Too little sleep weakens your immune system, making it more difficult to fight disease. Hafeez expands on the proteins mentioned by Harris, stating that “while you sleep, the body produces cytokines, proteins that help fight infections and inflammation.” Sleep deprivation may lead your body to create fewer cytokines, reducing your immune system’s ability to fight illness.”
There is also no shortage of ailments that can be caused by a lack of sleep. “Sleep deprivation can lead to increased stress hormones like cortisol, which can also have a negative impact on the immune system by putting you at risk for conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity,” explains Hafeez.
Your Mood Isn’t As Simple To Control
You’ve probably seen that fatigued folks are frequently nasty and irritable. You can blame it (at least somewhat) on the lack of sleep. “Poor sleep quality and/or quantity can also lead to difficulty regulating mood and emotion,” Harris notes. “If a person does not get enough sleep on a regular basis, depression, anxiety, and stress can worsen.”
According to Hafeez, increasing anxiety and stress might lead to troubles at work or school. If you continue to sleep insufficiently, your mental health problems may worsen.
5 Expert-Recommended Steps for Improving Your Sleep Schedule
Adulthood is realising that being forced to nap as a child was the best gift life ever offered us (and wondering why we didn’t appreciate it sooner). As we become older and our minds accumulate more information, stress, tasks, and burdens, a good night’s sleep becomes more sacred—and frequently more difficult to attain. According to the CDC, one out of every three Americans does not get enough sleep.
We understand if this resonates with you. So we asked Shelby Harris, PsyD, and Dan Gartenberg, Ph.D., sleep specialists, for their top ideas and tactics for obtaining a better night’s sleep and adjusting your sleep schedule. Continue reading for the finest night’s sleep you’ve had in years.
No scrolling before bedtime
Scrolling through your phone before bed is a common—and bad—habit. While it may be tempting to watch a few more instagram to help you fall asleep, experts say it does the opposite. “Not only will scrolling before bedtime expose you to excessive blue light, but it will also activate your brain and produce cortisol at a time when you should be relaxing,” Gartenberg explains. “Because the phone is highly engaging and dopamine-fueled in nature, it is a greater hindrance to a regulated bedtime than something like TV.”
The iPhone and Android now feature sleep/bedtime mode, and experts recommend using it and setting your phone aside to help fight temptation.
Make Your Bedroom Your Personal Sleep Haven
“Saving your bed for sleep and sex only is one of the simplest ways to consistently fall asleep [at your bedtime] and wake up at your… wake-up goal,” Gartenberg explains. “You should not be working, checking your phone, or doing much else in your bedroom.”
Your bedroom should be a quiet, dark, cool, and comfortable place with sheets that provide optimal comfort and breathability, like ettitude bedding,” Gartenberg explains. his is known in sleep science as arousal control. Human beings are association machines, and when we put work into the bedroom, it becomes a place where we get busy, whereas it should be a haven of calm and relaxation.
The Importance of Consistency
When it comes to optimising your sleep pattern and overall sleep quality, sticking to a consistent routine can help you train your body and mind to sleep when it’s time to sleep.
According to Harris, maintaining your circadian rhythm and getting up and going to bed at the same time each day will help you sleep better at night. “Try to maintain regular bed and wake times seven days a week, and don’t make up for a bad night of sleep by getting up late or staying up late the following day.”
Skip the alcohol and coffee.
The experts claim that this one is straightforward and concise. “Try to limit alcohol within three hours of going to bed, and limit caffeine eight hours before going to bed,” Harris advises. Yes, avoiding that very tempting cup of coffee at 3 PM is necessary.
Get Your Exercise
This idea has its roots in childhood – do you recall how your parents would let you run off all your energy before bed? This applies to maturity as well, albeit in a more refined fashion. This idea is supported by research, with surveys repeatedly demonstrating significant links between exercise and better sleep. Feel nice, rest well.
Your Memory Isn’t Working Correctly
You already know how sleep impacts memory if you’ve discovered that you don’t remember things that happened around a period when you weren’t getting enough sleep. According to Harris, “the brain consolidates our memories from the day while we sleep and stores them in case we need to remember them in the future. Lack of sleep can significantly affect this process, making it even more challenging for us to recall those memories.
Sleep deprivation can have a significant impact on memory, both short and long term, says Hafeez.
It is becoming more difficult to learn new things.
Have you ever felt like your brain couldn’t handle a new activity or talent because you weren’t getting enough sleep? This is due to the fact that your body need adequate sleep for your brain to function correctly. “Sleep deprivation can cause impaired attention, reduced consolidation leading to weaker memories, impaired recall of information and memories, memory distortion causing confusion and muddling, and difficulty retaining new information,” Hafeez explains.
Harris echoes this sentiment: “Sleep deprivation also reduces cognitive function and processing which can affect our ability to recall and/or learn new information effectively,” she claims.
How Many Hours a Night Should You Be Sleeping?
Hafeez claims that adults and young adults need sleep between seven and nine hours per night in order to obtain enough rest. He also notes that “it’s rare for a person to function properly on less than six hours of sleep per night, and those who claim that’s all they need have more than likely begun to adapt to the effects of sleep deprivation.
She emphasises that there isn’t a perfect, universal solution to this problem, though. According to her, “the amount of sleep that a person needs can vary depending on a number of factors, particularly age, sleep quality, and prior sleep deprivation.”
