Our health and wellness depend on so many factors, one of which is the number of hours of sleep we get regularly. This is important to take note of because sleep can affect other aspects of our lives, including our brain functions and immune systems.
If you experience less-than-stellar sleep qualities, you’re likely to feel more exhausted. And this could lead to the following issues.
Problem #1: Poor Overall Health
The occasional sleepless nights bear no harm to the body. However, repeated nights of insufficient sleep can cause major health complications like malnourishment, heart disease, mood disorders, and chronic illness. Obesity, in particular, has already been linked to insufficient sleep countless times.
If you get less than seven or eight hours of sleep every night, you risk upsetting your hormone balance. This is because your body produces either too much or too little of certain hormones.
Take, for example, leptin, which is in charge of alerting the brain if you’ve had enough calorie intake for the day. With less leptin in your system, your brain is more likely to believe that you require more sustenance. This will then lead to cravings even though you’re already full. Hence, the weight gain.
Problem #2: Mediocre Daytime Performance
Lack of sleep has also been proven to affect people’s concentration and thought processes the days after. Since you can’t focus properly, you have more difficulty doing certain tasks that require constant thinking, like working on reports or studying for exams.
It’s not only your logical side that’s affected, though. Fatigue can cause you to lose grip on your emotions, too. As a result, you can get quite cranky the morning after.
Now, given what insufficient sleep can do to you, what are the factors that you should take note of that can affect your manners of sleeping?
What to Do #1: Improve Your Sleeping Environment
The state of your bedroom can either do wonders or cause distress. When aiming for better sleep quality, you should look at lighting and the bed situation the most. Humans are light-sensitive beings, so any bright lights can confuse our body clocks into thinking it’s still daytime — meaning, not the time for sleep. This is why stark, white lights shouldn’t be used in the bedroom. Instead, opt for bulbs that give off a softer and warmer hue.
As for the bed situation, it should always suit your needs and taste. The Sealy beds sold in Kent come in different forms. If you can’t rest well with a soft mattress, then you should look into purchasing one with a higher spring count. The same can be said vice versa. It’s true that beds can get quite expensive, but they’re investments that we make for the sake of our bodies.
What to Do #2: Work on Your Work Schedule
Not everyone is fortunate to have a 9-5 job. There are people who work on shifting schedules — 9-5s, 6-2s, and anything in between. These schedules are not only exhausting but can be detrimental when trying to set a proper sleep schedule.
Still, they’re unavoidable for many. Working around this means investing some days off to catch up on sleep. You can also use sleeping aids to hurry along the path to sleep when you aren’t feeling tired yet.
If you’re having troubles with sleep, you should address your concerns as early as possible. Not only will this help you sleep better, but it can also prevent any possible bodily issues from arising in the future.
