You took a nap for three hours on Saturday evening, then couldn’t fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning. Or you toss and turn most nights and average about four hours of sleep a night. Worse, you stay up till all hours binge-watching TV then mainline coffee all day to stay awake.
Who needs sleep, right?
Answer: we all do!
And here’s the operative word: “need”.
Here’s a startling bit of news. It doesn’t matter if you’re off-the-charts fit and watch your diet rigidly. Your sleep hygiene needs to be just as excellent.
For now, you may feel okay even if you’re averaging just a few hours a night. However, in the long run, you’re putting your body and health at risk.
As we age, we naturally start to become forgetful. With sustained lack of sleep, impaired memory comes on quicker, affecting your ability to think and remember – and even how to process information. Also worrying, is that sleep deprivation can affect the prefrontal cortex and amygdala. The first part is responsible for reasoning and the latter for emotions.
Consider how you feel after a day or two of poor sleep; irritable, quick to anger, reaching for unhealthy food for a quick energy boost? Prepare for more of the same when your poor sleeping habits persist.
By the way, that unexplained weight gain you may be grappling with - blame the bad sleep habits after you’ve ruled out your diet. We rely on hormones to control our feelings of hunger and satiety, and when we struggle to sleep, these hormones don’t work so well either. Continued lack of sleep can trigger insulin release, causing increased fat storage. No thanks!
Let’s take that one step further. Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to many health conditions, including, high blood pressure, strokes and diabetes, heart attacks, obesity, and depression.
You have to take your sleep as seriously as you take something such as losing weight or adhering to your diabetes medication. In other words: very.
If you are suffering from insomnia, speak to a sleep specialist as soon as possible. There are many remedies and potential treatments that can help you.
Aim for at least seven hours of sleep a night for a healthy body and mind.
Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only. Always check with your doctor or medical practitioner about any health concerns, before embarking on any fitness or nutrition programme, and usage of any medication.