Having the odd night of inadequate sleep can make you feel tired and a little cranky, but it won’t have a serious impact on your overall health.
However, regularly not achieving a decent amount of sleep can have a huge effect on your health and put you at risk of developing severe medical conditions, as well as having a negative influence on your body, thoughts, emotions and behaviour.
For most people, it is recommended to achieve at least eight hours of good quality sleep to allow us to function at our best, with the importance placed more on the quality rather than the hours of sleep.
If you are waking up tired and spending the day feeling sleepy, chances are you’re not getting the correct amount or a decent quality of sleep which, over time, can have serious implications including:
- Increased risk of serious medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes – it can even take time off our life expectancy
- Mental health problems such as anxiety and depression
- Weight gain due to lower levels of leptin (the chemical that makes us feel full) and higher levels of ghrelin (the hormone that stimulates hunger).
Just goes to show, waking up on the wrong side of the bed can cause more issues than a grumpy mood!
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