Quality and Quantity: 10 Signs You Aren’t Sleeping Well

Sleep deprivation is now one of the major concerns in public health as millions and millions of people around the world find themselves wide awake at 3 am. There are a number of reasons why you can’t sleep at night including stress, Sleep Apnea, your cell phone and other electronics, and many other reasons.

To find out if your problem with sleep is medical, a sleep study is required. There are now sleep studies you can do at home yourself. This is often a better indicator of your sleep patterns and you can learn more about in-home sleep testing and if it is the right test for you.

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10 signs you are not sleeping well.

1. Daytime Drowsiness

Everyone gets sleepy during the day, but when you have daytime drowsiness, you can’t stay awake. You want nothing more than to go back to bed and stay there.
This is caused by not enough quality sleep. You may think you are sleeping through the night, but you may be waking up for any number of reasons.

Most of the time, you are not aware you are waking up. This is called Sleep Apnea and is characterized by a sudden stop in breathing. Your body wakes you up in order to get air into your lungs. You could wake up anywhere from once an hour to hundreds of times each minute.

2. You Gain Weight

A good nights sleep allows your body to replenish leptin and ghrelin, the hormones charged with letting you know if you are really hungry or not.

When you don’t allow these hormones to rest and regenerate, you feel as if you are hungry all the time. When they don’t signal you to stop eating, you continue until you make yourself sick. This a major cause of weight gain.

3. More Mood Swing

When your body does not get enough sleep, you become irritable and your mood swings wildly. You are mentally exhausted because your brain is not allowed to rest or turn off if the body is not sleeping.

You may lash out at the slightest disagreement or challenge to your thinking. Your cognitive understanding of even the simplest tasks or statements is impaired.
You may feel as if you are going to cry or feel overwhelmed at small things that would otherwise not bother you. This is due to the lack of sleep and your inability to reason and sort through your emotions quickly like you can when you are well rested.

4. More Signs of Aging

When your body cannot restore all the hormones to a proper balance, your skin starts to show stress. Deep lines and wrinkles begin to appear on your face. Wrinkles cause you to look older and no one wants that.

Another sign of aging is puffy or dark circles under the eyes. This is also due to the fact that your body cannot restore itself to the correct hormonal equation for your skin.

5. Blemishes

Even if you are in your thirties, forties, or older, if you are not getting enough sleep, you are prone to blemishes. Sleep controls hormones and when you don’t get enough sleep, your hormones and your immune system become stressed.

A weakened immune system cannot fight off illness and disease. Even the smallest bacteria, like dirt trapped under the skin, become hard to control. This is a major cause of pimples and no amount of medicated soaps will rid your body of this bacteria.

You need your immune system to become stronger and that means getting more sleep. Your face will clear up after your natural sleep pattern is restored.

6. Too Much Caffeine

An extra cup of coffee or another soda in the afternoon may seem like a good idea, but it only provides a temporary boost of energy. Too much caffeine can contribute to insomnia and cause anxiety.

The caffeine shots or heavily caffeinated drinks are bad for your health as well as your sleep. Too much caffeine will make your heart race and this is not conducive to good sleep.

If you must drink coffee or soda, limit it in the morning only. Do not take caffeine after 2 pm for it will keep you awake late into the night.

7. Depression

Not getting enough sleep can lead to depression and feelings of hopelessness. However, depression is often a leading factor in individuals that can’t get enough sleep. This is known as a circular illness.

Some anti-depressants can cause too much sleep, usually during the daytime hours. Your doctor will recommend the best combination of medication to balance out your natural sleep patterns.

8. Inflammation and Puffiness

Not enough sleep can add to inflammation in the body. Inflammation can cause different illnesses, including arthritis and chronic pain.

Inflammation on the surface of the skin looks like puffiness. When you don’t get enough sleep, your skin, especially your face, will become puffy. A puffy face will make you look ill and like you are not well. Getting enough rest will help to keep the puffiness away and you will look your best.

9. Memory Fog

When you lack enough sleep, your memory becomes fuzzy. You may feel as if you are walking around in a fog and can’t remember the simplest of ideas.
Coffee or another source of caffeine will not boost your memory because your brain needs rest and sleep to repair and restore what it loses each day.

10. Your Libido Is Missing

Lack of sleep can cause your desire to be intimate to all but disappear. Fatigue is a major energy zapper and when it comes to being with a partner, you would probably rather try to get some sleep.

When you are well rested and get enough sleep, you feel better and you do your best at everyday things your life demands. If you are having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or sleeping too much during the day, you should think about a sleep study.