This year, some of us may have been stuck working from home and not getting enough sleep – as working hours continue to expand into the night. Stress, overcommunication, and worry may have affected our sleeping patterns. The fact is, however, that not getting enough sleep can wreak havoc on your health.
The Importance of Sleep
Sleep is essential for our health and well-being. It helps us to recharge and restore our energy levels, strengthens our immune system, and repairs our body tissues. In fact, lack of sleep has been linked with a range of health problems such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke. While most articles focus on the serious complications, losing even one hour of sleep a night can help disrupt your everyday life. Below you will find 10 ways your day can be disrupted by irregular sleeping patterns and insufficient restful sleep.
1. You’ll be moody and irritable
Tiredness does not put a smile on anyone’s face. So if lack of sleep is disrupting your life, expect that you’ll be moody and irritable. This could negatively affect personal and professional relationships as well as help cause more stress for you, the individual.
2. You’ll lack focus and concentration
When lack of sleep starts to affect your performance at work, we can’t blame you if you find yourself struggling with a lack of focus and concentration.
This is why larger organizations such as Google and Facebook now have sleep pods or nap pods available at their office. Pro tip: if you’re working from home, a 15-minute nap in the middle of the day can help you stay alert and focused.
3. You’ll lack motivation and energy
Feeling lack of motivation and lack of energy? These are common effects lack of sleep can have on our bodies, so don’t be surprised if it creeps up on you. This can make it difficult to get anything done, which only exasperates the lack of sleep problem as mounting tasks can make it difficult to shut off for the night and get restful sleep.
4. You’ll be more emotional
If you find yourself tearing up at every little thing or becoming overwhelmed with emotion, lack of sleep may be the culprit. This is because our bodies produce more cortisol, the stress hormone when lack of sleep has been affecting us. This causes the brain to have a harder time processing emotion – which is why lack of sleep can lead to being more emotional.
This can cause to cry more often or worse, snap at any moment due to minor disturbances.
5. You’ll be distracted
A lack of focus and concentration may mean that you’re also going to find yourself easily distracted, whether by work or play: like becoming easily distracted by your phone when you should be working, or having a harder time paying attention at meetings.
6. You May Experience Memory Lapses
When lack of sleep becomes a common occurrence, our brains may start to experience memory lapses. This means that you may find yourself forgetting what you were just about to say mid-sentence or struggling to remember where you put your keys.
7. You May Experience Blurred Vision
Feeling like you’re seeing two of everything? When lack of sleep kicks in, it can cause your vision to become blurry. While this may not seem dangerous, it’s important to note that lack of sleep can affect your ability to react quickly – which could be dangerous when driving (or simply crossing the street).
8. You May Suffer From a Weakened Immune System
When lack of sleep becomes a common occurrence, our immune system may start to weaken. This could make it difficult for your body to fight off infection and illness – making you more susceptible to them.
9. You’ll Be Prone To Headaches
Do you find that you’re getting more headaches lately? If lack of sleep is to blame, you’re not alone: lack of sleep can cause tension headaches due to the increase in cortisol levels.
10. You May Gain Unhealthy Weight
If lack of sleep becomes a common occurrence, you may also find that you start packing on the pounds. This is because lack of sleep can disrupt our hormones which control our appetite – making us crave unhealthy foods.
So if lack of sleep is disrupting your life, know that you’re not alone. And luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to help get better sleep. One of the most important things you can do is limit your exposure to light one hour before bedtime, which will allow your body to get closer to being tired enough for restful sleep.
If lack of sleep is disrupting your health or if lack of sleep has become a common occurrence, then it may be time to make some changes to your schedule. No matter what, lack of sleep shouldn’t be disrupting your life!
Do You Need a Sleep Medicine Specialist?
If lack of sleep has become a common occurrence and you have started to suffer from lack of focus, lack of motivation, lack of energy, lack of memory, lack of weight loss, or if lack of sleep is disrupting your life, it may be time to seek the help of a sleep medicine specialist. A sleep medicine specialist can help you create a sleep schedule that will work for you, and can also offer medication if necessary. Don’t let lack of sleep take over your life – get the help you need!
Gingras Sleep Medicine in Concord & Charlotte, North Carolina
Dr. Gingras can help you get the sleep you need! Our specialists can help you create a sleep schedule that will work for you, and can offer medication if necessary. Schedule an appointment today by visiting our website at http://gingrassleepmedicine.com/ or calling us at (704) 944-0562.