Ever wake up feeling exhausted? *Raises hand*
You’re not alone. In fact, two-fifths of Americans are tired most of the week – just like you. And while it seems like the only thing this affects is your ability to stay awake – it actually has a huge impact on your body.
But what is considered “too little sleep”? The National Sleep Foundation has done extensive research and come up with a handy chart on how much sleep you need for your age.
So let’s talk about what happens to your body on too little sleep:
EMOTIONAL INSTABILITY
In this 2015 study, they found that lack of sleep affected the brain’s ability to decipher what was important, and what wasn’t – heightening the importance of everything. This results in emotional instability and can lead to anxiety. Improving your sleep could improve your mental state – making you happier.
LOW IMMUNE FUNCTION
A 2017 study, published in the journal Sleep, took blood samples from identical twins with different sleep patterns and found the twin getting less sleep had a weaker immune system. If you find yourself sick often, focusing on getting enough sleep could be beneficial.
UNEXPLAINED WEIGHT GAIN
Sudden weight gain can be surprising, and studies show that reduced quality of sleep affects your waist line. This may be due to possible changes in appetite, metabolism, motivation, physical activity, or a combination of factors. Remembering that your weight is a symptom, lack of sleep could very well be your root cause.
POOR DIGESTION
Lack of sleep impacts your ability to breakdown, digest, and properly absorb your food. This 2017 study found a positive association between sleep apnea and IBS, helping us understand the connection with sleep and digestion. If you struggle with gut issues, increase your sleep and sleep quality!
LOW LIBIDO
Getting enough sleep can be the key to improving your sex drive, according to this study. In fact, adding just one hour of sleep per night was shown to significantly improve women’s sex drive the next day. While low libido can be a result of hormonal imbalances, gut issues, and more – sleep may be playing a factor too.
DISEASE PREVENTION
There are plenty of studies that address how lack of sleep can increase your chances of diseases, like diabetes or heart disease. Ensuring adequate sleep (and good quality!) is the best way to take preventative measures against these diseases – especially if it’s in the family.
So that begs the question – how can you improve your sleep? Here are a few ideas:
1. Selenium. A deficiency can affect your sleep, immune system, and thyroid function. The best sources are brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, cremini mushrooms, beef, and chicken.
2. Trytophan. As the precursor to serotonin production by the body, it’s important to ensure you’re getting enough. Find it in hemp seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, eggs, sweet potatoes, chicken, and turkey.
3. Magnesium. This nutrient helps to regulate your sleep and get you into a deep sleep. Fill up on avocados, green leafy vegetables, bananas, raspberries, nuts and seeds, black beans, and brussels sprouts.
4. Vitamin D. Not enough of the sunshine vitamin can impact your daytime fatigue. Adding in a vitamin D supplement is sometimes the best way to ensure adequate levels of this powerful nutrient to improve sleep.
5. Melatonin. A hormone that helps to regulate your sleep cycle that can be found in small amounts in cherries and walnuts, and helpful if you struggle with falling asleep.
