An occasional night without sleep makes you feel tired, irritable, and you may not work at your best the next day, but it won’t harm your health. However, if you are among those that regularly do not get enough sleep, the cost of all those short or sleepless nights is more than just bad moods and a lack of focus. This sleep deprivation could also have some profound consequences on your physical health. Regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, heart disease and diabetes – and it shortens your life expectancy.
We often underestimate the importance of sleep – or the consequences of not getting enough. It is one of the pillars of good mental and physical health. Here are a few of the many benefits of getting those much needed ZZZZ's all year round.
If you seem to catch every cold and flu that’s going around, your bedtime could be to blame. Prolonged lack of sleep can disrupt your immune system, so you’re less able to fend off bugs.
2. Sleep can slim you
Sleeping less may mean you put on weight! Studies have shown that people who sleep less than seven hours a day tend to gain more weight and have a higher risk of becoming obese than those who get seven hours of slumber.
It’s believed to be because sleep-deprived people have reduced levels of leptin (the chemical that makes you feel full) and increased levels of ghrelin (the hunger-stimulating hormone).
3. Sleep boosts mental wellbeing
Given that a single sleepless night can make you irritable and moody the following day, it’s not surprising that chronic sleep debt may lead to long-term mood disorders like depression and anxiety.
When people with anxiety or depression were surveyed to calculate their sleeping habits, it turned out that most of them slept for less than six hours a night.
4. Sleep prevents diabetes
Studies have suggested that people who usually sleep less than five hours a night have an increased risk of having or developing diabetes.
It seems that missing out on deep sleep may lead to type 2 diabetes by changing the way the body processes glucose – the high-energy carbohydrate that cells use for fuel.
5. Sleep wards off heart disease
Long-standing sleep deprivation seems to be associated with increased heart rate, an increase in blood pressure and higher levels of certain chemicals linked with inflammation, which may put extra strain on your heart.
If you don’t get enough sleep, there’s only one way to compensate – get more sleep :)
10 Tips on How to get AWESOME SLEEP!
(From Wired To Eat by Robb Wolf)
1.Get more daytime sun on your person
and in your eyes to establish a normal circadian rhythm. If possible, get outside first thing in the morning, even if only for a few minutes. If you have the chance to go for a walk or eat lunch outside, do it!
2. About an hour after sunset dim the lights in your house.
Our evenings need to be cooler, darker, and not the equivalent of a rock concert if we want to get the best sleep possible.
3. Limit evening tech
(computer, smartphone, tv, etc.) If you must use these items use programs like f.lux or Nightshift to reduce the blue light these items emit in the evening. If you want to help all of this process along, buy a pair of gaming glasses or blue blockers to help reduce total light entering your eyes (this is clearly just for the evening time).
4. Sleep in a cool room.
Studies have shown that an optimal sleeping temperature is about 19°C
5. Sleep in a dark room.
Put some effort into blackout curtains or just some aluminum foil in the windows. You will be amazed by the difference in sleep quality.
6. Keep a journal.
If you ruminate before bed, keep a journal handy and jot the things you need to do the following day. At this point, there is nothing you can do that will help you be more productive than getting a good night’s sleep.
7. Get a good mattress.
If you have an uncomfortable bed, you are not likely to sleep well.
8. Alternating hot/cold shower.
If you have trouble unwinding in the evenings, contrast showers may be a great option. Get the shower at a temperature that is HOT. Like barely able to stand it hot. Run that for about 10 seconds, then tip the water to “cool” and run this for 20 seconds. This need not be cold, we are trying to relax, not jolt you for an adventure race. What we are looking for is a significant difference in the relative temperature between hot and cool. Alternate between hot and cool 5-10 times, finish on cool, towel off and then hop in your dark, cool, snuggly bed.
9. Make a consistent schedule and stick to it.
If you have kids, you know they sleep better when they have a set bedtime routine. Not surprisingly, we do, too!
10. Stable blood sugar.
Good food and good sleep work in a virtuous cycle that helps keep you strong, healthy, and lean. The opposite is also true. Eating right before bed is not recommended, as this makes it hard for our body temperature to drop and can make getting into deep, restful sleep more challenging. On the other hand, if our blood sugar drops too low during the night, we can wake up due to the release of cortisol (stress hormone), which is working to bring our blood sugar back up. Some people do better with some good quality carbs in their dinner, while others tend to sleep better with a meal that was mainly protein and fat. Tinker with this and find what works best for you.
Most of us need around eight hours of good-quality sleep a night to function properly – but some need more and some less. What matters is that you find out how much sleep you need and then try to achieve it.
Sweet dreams!