7 Warning Signs That You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep

We all know that getting a good night’s rest is one of the best things that you can do for your health and well-being, but how do you know if you’re getting enough sleep? If you’re experiencing any of the following, your body is most likely trying to warn you that you’re not getting enough quality time in the sack. 1. Health Concerns Many studies have linked poor health to lack of sleep. If you have high blood pressure or blood glucose levels, you might need to get more sleep every night. There have even been studies that directly link diabetes to a poor quality of sleep. Doctors recommend that you try getting to bed at least an hour or two earlier and consider sleeping on a memory foam mattress, instead of a traditional innerspring one, in an effort to reduce sleep disturbances brought about by tossing and turning. 2. Pain During the Day Does your body ache? Studies have shown that loss of sleep and a lower pain threshold go hand in hand. Whether you have chronic pain issues or are suffering from a recent injury, getting more sleep can help you to heal faster and have less pain throughout your day. 3. Changes in Mood If you’ve noticed your mood worsening, lack of sleep could be to blame. Being cranky is an obvious side effect of exhaustion, but poor sleep has also been linked to the inability to regulate emotions. If you find your mood varying drastically throughout the day, from tears to laughter without any warning, the first place to look for the trouble is in your bed. Are you turning in early enough, or could you use an upgrade in the mattress department? 4. Trouble Losing Weight If you just can’t seem to lose those last 10 pounds or notice your weight fluctuating without an obvious reason, lack of sleep is most likely the culprit. Some of the trouble is behavioral, since if you are overtired you are less likely to have the energy to stick to an exercise regime, but there is also a physiological component. The hormone leptin is what controls your appetite, and levels of this key hormone drop when you don’t get enough sleep. Thanks to this, tired people are also hungry people, and they tend to reach for the more comforting foods that are high in fat and sugar when craving a snack. 5. Muddled Thinking When you wake up feeling fuzzy and confused, you’re not getting enough sleep. This feeling will follow you throughout the day, causing low levels of cognition and the ability to process your thoughts logically. 6. Memory Loss It has been scientifically proven that we process all of our thoughts and memories from our day while we sleep. If this process is interrupted by a lack of sleep, the result is the loss of memory. Studies have also shown that lack of sleep can produce “false” memories, causing you to believe that you remember something that never occurred. 7. Frequent Colds Does it seem like you are constantly fighting off a cold? You could have a weak immune system, and health experts have directly linked the inability to prevent illness with a lack of sleep. One study done on this subject showed that people that are getting less than seven hours of sleep a night are more than three times more likely to develop cold symptoms than those that are getting eight or more hours of sleep a night. The Bottom Line Not getting enough sleep can cause some serious issues in your life. Just turning in for the night an hour earlier or upgrading to a better mattress can help you to feel and live better.