No doubt you’ve been told (many times in fact!) that you need to prioritise sleep…
While in the perfect world we’d all be enjoying the recommended seven to nine hours a night, then waking up each day with a bundle of energy and excitement to get stuck into the day. The reality is, 40 per cent of Aussies aren’t getting enough shut-eye! Sound familiar?
When you think how much of an impact sleep has on our overall health and that a lack of shut-eye is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke… it’s easy to see why getting enough of it is so important!
Aside from a good old yawn every now and then, here are some other sneaky signs you may need a few more zzzs…
You’ve put on a few kilos.
You might have ditched the sweet stuff, but regardless of how healthy your diet is, not getting enough pillow time could be why you’ve packed on the pounds recently. In fact, a major study found that a lack of sleep increased the likelihood of obesity in both children and adults.
You’re ravenous.
Ever wake up exhausted and find yourself starving as well? Rest assured, you’re not alone! Truth is, if you’re not sleeping enough, it can throw your hormones out of whack and in particular, increase levels of ghrelin (AKA the hormone that increases our appetite). Worse still? When you don’t sleep enough your leptin levels also decrease and this is the hormone which tells you you’re full! Not ideal.
You’re feeling forgetful.
During sleep, our body has the opportunity to rest, repair and regenerate. It also allows your brain to process vital information and create memories. So it makes sense then, if you’re feeling fatigued, that you’re probably a little more forgetful than usual.
You’re feeling a little sensitive.
Are you bursting into tears at the drop of a hat? Or finding yourself snapping at people over trivial things that usually wouldn’t cause you to flinch? It could be as simple as you’re not getting enough rest. Even one night of poor sleep can affect our mood and cause us to be more irritable, research says.
Got any nifty snooze tips for us? Pop them in the comments below!
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