Sleep

4 Ways In Which A Lack of Sleep Affects You Negatively

It has a domino effect in every aspect of your life

Sleep is of paramount importance to your well being.

And ironically, it’s most neglected and undermined.

We keep finding ways to put off sleep to get “more” done. To be more productive. When in reality the reverse is true. You are exponentially productive when well rested.

Not taking optimum sleep is a recipe for disaster. It’s a surefire way to not be productive.

But we keep convincing ourselves why losing two hours of sleep wouldn’t matter. We are finding ways to make our life better after all. Or binge watching that Netflix original everyone’s talking about.

Reading that article that promises to change your life forever, watching that motivational video, or slogging at work.

Everything becomes more important than sleep at that moment.

It’s a part of vicious cycle.

I too have been a victim of the cycle. Of course due to my own habits.

I would watch some TV series late into the night. Followed by late night snacking that would trip off my weight loss journey.

And soon it is 4 a.m as I slip into sleep regretting the precious hours I cut off from my sleep.

Sound familiar?

I guess this is the story of most people out there. At least for the majority of youth.

Here are 4 reasons why not getting enough sleep is seriously detrimental to your health and success.

1. You can’t focus on the task at hand

You wake up groggy.

You trudge off your bed, feeling miserable and regretful for not getting optimum sleep and make a promise to yourself the umpteenth time to not repeat this ever again.

With your eyes hurting, and head heavy due to lack of sleep, you get on with the day.

The worst is yet to come.

You can’t focus on the task at hand which in my case is studying. I sleep during the lecture which causes even more damage.

Being able to concentrate seems to be the last thing possible.

That has an indirect effect on you rebuking yourself even more for being so weak and undisciplined.

You just fantasise about when do you get to take the afternoon nap to feel refreshed and get on with some high quality work.

In retrospect, you realise had you slept two hours more the night before, your day would have been far more productive.

2. You make unhealthy food choices

Ever noticed after a good night’s sleep, you tend to eat less unhealthy and are more in control of your cravings?

That’s because when you sleep well, your hormones are balanced. On the contrary, if you regularly miss out on sleep, your hormones are running haywire causing you to make unhealthy food choices.

When the body is sleep-deprived, Ghrelin levels spike. The hormone that stimulates hunger causing you to crave more food.

When I don’t take optimum sleep the night before, I feel strong urges to binge eat on sweets and snacks thereby negatively impacting my health.

If weight loss is what you are aiming for, start by fixing your sleep schedule.

Without optimum sleep, there’s no weight loss possible.

3. Emotions get the better of you

Lack of sleep hugely impacts your emotions and thinking ability.

I find myself stressing about trivial of things when I sleep less the night before.

I’m irritable and more likely to snap back at someone who wouldn’t even be at fault particularly.

I remember once fretting over the possibility that I might not get a good job ever in my life just because I was too overwhelmed with the lack of sleep!

It’s insane how nasty tricks mind plays when you haven’t slept well.

A good laugh and a long sleep are two best cures for anything.

Ever heard the term “sleep on it”? It means to delay the decision making until the next day.

The reason this approach is encouraged is because when you sleep well, you tend to make better decisions.

Need I emphasis more on the importance of sleep?

4.You age at a faster rate

There’s no part of human body that is not affected by lack of sleep.

Your skin looks older, your hair starts falling, it becomes harder for brain to process information, you are at a higher risk of contracting Dementia, higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, reduced sexual performance and what not.

We need to understand, sleep is when our body repairs itself. Most of the muscle building happens in sleep and not in the gym. It’s important to give our body the rest it needs.

Without recovery, there’s no growth.That’s how crucial sleep is. Sleep has the power to impact every aspect of your life. Positively and negatively.

The choice is ours to to make.

Make it a priority if it isn’t already.

How to fix your sleep

Here are few ways to maximise your sleep quality:-

• Keep your devices away at least half an hour before sleep.

Blue light from devices hampers with our natural circadian sleep cycle. It sends the signal to the brain telling that it’s not yet the time to sleep. Try reading a book instead.

• Include a walking routine before sleep.

Walking has been linked to lowering cortisol which in turn leads to better sleep. A light stroll of about 20 minutes may work wonders to your mood and your sleep quality.

• Take your last meal at least 2 hours before sleep.

Eating before sleep hugely impacts the quality of your sleep. After a meal, digestive system generates a lot of heat to digest the food. Due to which our body isn’t relaxed appropriately.

When nothing goes right, go to sleep.

Find a way to fix your sleep and you’ll be right on the path to happiness and productivity.