Sleeping through the alarm signal and being late for work, or (oh no!) important negotiations – is every second person’s nightmare. The alarm clock controls our lives starting from school and soon becomes not only an assistant, but also the worst enemy. It robs us of the valuable sleep. Statistics says that the majority of the world’s population lack sleep chronically. It would seem no big deal. However, you do not even guess how much quality sleep affects your health and life until you go on holiday without the need to get up at 7.00. A regular sleep deprivation can cause the unpleasant symptoms described below. And it is just the beginning.
From time to time, we all are faced with the unpleasant things from this list. However, if you notice that everything described below is applicable to you 7 days a week, it is time to change something urgently. You need to start with your own daily routine. After all, doctors are warning: chronic sleep deprivation goes hand in hand with depression, cardiovascular disease and even obesity. Reward yourself with at least an additional hour of sleep, or even turn to a specialist, if you noticed that…
You are constantly missing the alarm signal, without even noticing it
Paradoxically, but a regularly missed alarm is a signal to you that you sleep little or are faced with a sleep disorder. For example, you are constantly waking up from every sound or when the lights turn on, and, as a result, you cannot reach the deep sleep phase for the whole night. There is no denying that waking up on the demand of a device is hard. Test yourself: if an hour after you wake up, you still feel like a weak-willed zombie, dreaming only of a cushion, then, most likely, something is wrong either with your schedule, or with bedroom arrangement.
You fall asleep at every good (and bad) opportunity
It would seem the most obvious symptom. However, many of us ignore it all the time. Remember: constantly falling asleep in the subway, bus, and even in the workplace is not exactly healthy.
What have you just read?
Deep quality sleep is essential to your brain, especially the prefrontal cortex. This department (among other things) is responsible for mental activity, attention, motility, planning and decision-making. Lack of sleep hinders these functions. As a result, you are constantly unfocused, you find it difficult to concentrate, performing simple tasks can drive you to a dead-lock, but still you will surely forget about what a colleague has just ask you or you read a moment ago. Sounds familiar? So, you need a new schedule.
You control your emotions poorly
Yelled at a woman on the subway for no reason or burst into tears hearing a sad song that you do not even like? The good news is that it could be PMS. However, if you’re a man, things must be worse. Most likely, you are not getting enough sleep. And it’s not about quantity, it is about quality. Regularly skipping the deep or slow-wave sleep phase always affects your mood. And it is directly related to depression. Look at your bedroom closely: you may be distracted by a street lamp by the window or the flashing light of the air conditioner. Even such trifles can easily cause sleep disorders.
You are always hungry
Coming up to the fridge or a snack machine very often? It can testify to the lack of sleep and chronic sleep disorders. Your body requires something fatty or sweet, not because it is hungry, but because it wants to perk up at the expense of calories and sugar. Perhaps you simply lack energy?
You delay sports regularly
Your body has very little energy to work out. And still, breathing exercises and stretching is what you need now: the chances of waking up are much higher after oxygen saturation. Ah, yes, your fatigue may turn out to be simple laziness.
And making love, too
A prestigious medical journal, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, published the results of the study, according to which poor-quality sleep is able to significantly affect the hormone ratio in the body. In particular, it inhibits the production of “drive hormones ” (eg, androgen). So if you keep saying “not today”, it may indicate trivial fatigue, not the decline of your relationship. Moreover, it has been revealed that just one extra hour of sleep at night enhances sexual desire by 14%. Make conclusions.
You are gaining weight
Without apparent reasons. Perhaps you should seek the solution in the bedroom. In every sense. Weight gain may be associated with the inhibition of sex hormones and violation of growth hormone or hydrocortisone production. Those are the consequences of lack of sleep. Just like the constant feeling of hunger. By the way, in 2010, American researchers have found a strange relationship between the waist volume of the volunteers and the duration of their deep sleep phase at night.
