Sleep is just as important as your physical and mental health, but often it is not as much of a priority as your exercise routine. Most people are good at getting their exercise routine in, but often skimp on sleep because they don’t realize how much sleep deprivation can negatively impact your health. I live with chronic pain, and often I do struggle with getting good quality sleep because although I can usually fall asleep because my medication helps with that, I don’t usually stay asleep due to pain. Sleep is so important for your health because your body needs an adequate amount of rest to be able to function optimally. Poor sleep for a couple of days will not cause long-term health issues, but you don’t want to make a habit of not sleeping enough because it is hard on your body and increases your risk for certain health issues. What happens to your body when you don’t sleep enough? In this post, I am going to talk about how poor sleep can negatively impact your health.
It causes more cravings- People who are on a weight loss journey and are serious about getting results often will make sure that they are eating healthy meals and exercising. Sometimes people do not realize how much a good quality night’s rest plays a role in your weight loss journey. When you don’t sleep enough, it messes with your hunger hormones and often causes you to crave more, so you will eat more calories than you would have if you slept enough. I struggle with sleep deprivation because of pain, and have noticed that when I sleep under six hours, I crave food I wouldn’t normally crave and have to be very mindful of that. Weight loss can be more difficult if you don’t sleep enough because you eat about three-hundred to five hundred calories more when you aren’t well-rested, and it’s not usually healthy food.
It increases your risk for heart issues– Cardio is important for improving heart health, but it can be difficult to improve your cardiovascular health when you aren’t sleeping enough. I exercise regularly, but sometimes struggle to improve my cardiovascular health because my pain levels prevent me from being able to sleep as much as I know I should be. Chronic sleep deprivation is hard on your heart and increases your risk for heart issues, even if you are doing your exercise routine regularly and eating healthily. I take heart issues seriously because heart issues run in my family, and I am going to do everything within my control to prevent them, but it can sometimes be difficult when you aren’t able to sleep enough on most days. Sleep is so important for heart health because not sleeping enough can raise your heart rate and cause your cholesterol to be higher and heart issues in general.
It can cause brain fog– I have been struggling with sleep deprivation for years, and am able to function when I am a little sleep deprived because my body is used to it. On days I don’t sleep enough, I have noticed that I am not as productive because I am more fatigued, and writing a blog post takes me twice as long as it normally would. If you are studying for a test and have only slept four hours, it may be more difficult to recall information, even if you drink tons of coffee to wake up, because your brain needs enough rest to function to be able to recall information quickly. You will not be as productive when you don’t sleep enough because you won’t have as much energy. I don’t usually struggle to come up with new ideas for my blog, but if I am more sleep-deprived than usual, I do because sleep deprivation causes brain fog, and the only way to fix that is by taking a nap. If you ever noticed that it’s more difficult to remember things when you are sleep deprived, it’s not your imagination because poor sleep can make it more difficult to process information.
It can affect your workout performance- People often think that if they exercise consistently and eat healthily, their physical health will improve. Regular exercise will improve your physical health, but if you want to be able to push yourself during exercise, it is so important that you sleep enough. Poor sleep will affect your workout performance, whether you realize it or not, because you are not going to have the energy to push yourself to the max. I sometimes exercise when I am a little sleep deprived, because I am almost always a little sleep deprived, but I do notice a major difference in my workout performance. If you want to improve your physical health, it is so important to do your workout consistently and to sleep enough because both things are equally as important.
It negatively affects your gut health- Poor sleep often causes more inflammation throughout your body, which can weaken your gut barrier and cause a lot of bloating and gas that you wouldn’t normally experience. Sleep deprivation often causes you to have more cravings, which can contribute to poor gut health even if you are eating healthy. I have never had great gut health because of my disability, but I do notice that my issues get a lot worse when I don’t sleep enough, and sometimes I will struggle with constipation when I haven’t been sleeping. If you are trying to improve your gut health, make sure you are prioritizing sleep because sleep deprivation is not good for your gut.
If you are trying to improve your physical and mental health, it is so important that you prioritize rest and sleep enough. It will be very difficult to improve your health when you aren’t sleeping enough because you won’t have the energy to do things that you know you should be doing. I am not always able to sleep as much as I would like because pain sometimes messes with my sleep, but I do try to go to bed early and get as much as possible. Chronic sleep deprivation increases your risk for a lot of health issues that I did not mention, and it is so important to sleep enough to lower your risk. It can be difficult to sleep enough when you live with chronic pain, but it is so important that you try because you will improve your pain levels when you sleep more. You cannot always reverse health issues caused by poor sleep, and your best defense is preventing them altogether. How has poor sleep negatively impacted your health? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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