5 Problems Caused by Sleeping Poorly

Not getting enough sleep can really affect your life in many ways. It can influence your daily and long-term health and mental well-being in a negative way if the problems persist, and we are going to review them here in today’s article.

Many people don’t realise that a lack of sleep has been associated with chronic medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, and that you’re less likely to live as long as a result. Even sleeping too much (more than nine hours) can create bad health.

1. Contract more diseases

In sleep deprivation studies, it was found that less sleep increased stress levels, blood pressure and inflammation and impaired blood glucose control.

Other types of studies indicated that decreased and increased sleep duration is linked with diabetes and obesity. People who sleep for less than six hours per night on a regular basis are more like to have a higher average body mass index (BMI). During the night when we are resting, our bodies produce hormones that help with appetite control, metabolism and glucose processing. Short nights mess with these processes, and can lead to the production of more cortisol and insulin, which is associated with weight gain and diabetes.

People who slept less than six hours also suffer from elevated blood pressure, depression, anxiety and mental distress. Immune function goes down when we don’t sleep so well, because your body deals with a lot of repair and cleansing during the night, so we’re stronger after a good night’s rest.

2. Changes in sleeping patterns

What happens when you don’t sleep well? You’re more likely to take a nap during the day or after work or sleep in if you can. Doing this to much leads to changes in your body clock and sleeping patterns, and can ruin your health.

This is obvious enough, but how does it affect your life? Well, sleeping in when you should really be at work or school has its obvious drawbacks! But staying up late afterward creates habits that are difficult to get rid of later, and may encourage us to start living our day at night: partying or living online, getting less sunlight, working at night and missing out on the types of activities people usually do during the day, like exercising and playing sports, having a teaching career, working with children or work based in an office or other environment.

The best way to avoid these issues is to be very strict with yourself and get up early every day regardless of how long you have slept. Doing this will encourage your body to keep a regular and healthy sleeping pattern and you will become tired when you should ideally be going to sleep.

3. Chronic fatigue

Chronic fatigue can start to creep in if you sleep badly all the time, but continue with a demanding lifestyle. The body needs rest and if it doesn’t get it, it’ll start sending you messages that you owe it some rest. This can result in lethargy, poor emotional health, and a general lack of energy that gets worse over time rather than better. Finding ways to sleep better is a must, and this might include gentle exercise, lowering stress levels and eating well. Turning off all computers, TVs and phones a couple of hours before bed can also work well. Chronic fatigue is difficult to heal, so try to avoid getting it in the first place.

4. Stomach problems

The health of our teeth and gums can give us some great information on how we are sleeping and how healthy our digestive tract is. Pay attention to whether you grind your teeth at night, or if you wake up with a tension headache. This could be a sign that you are suffering from chronic stress, food allergies, candida, parasites or leaky gut syndrome and these conditions are likely to interrupt your sleep.

Gastroesophageal disease has been linked to sleep disorders, and sleeping badly may cause stomach issues like this to get worse. Viral and bacterial infections, smoking and allergies can also lead to larger amounts of mucous in the oesophagus, a sign that there is inflammation in your digestive system.

5. Eating sugary food

Sugar is stimulating in the body, so it’s well worth finding an alternative like stevia, agave or xylitol you like and get off it. However, when we don’t sleep well, we are more likely to reach for foods we think might give us more energy and perk us up. Try not to try and replace rest with food. Eating salads and fresh food is more likely to work to your benefit, so grab some fruit instead of chocolate or other carbs.