You do it, I do it, we allll do it. Way too often. Sleep is something we’re quite literally well, sleeping on as a society in the modern world, and it’s causing us all an array of preventative health issues. Boo to that. Isn’t it time we started prioritizing our health in the most simplest way possible? What do your sleep patterns look like on average, and why the heck are you all staying up so late?!?! Today, I want to explore how sleep deprivation affects health and productivity.
The Importance of Sleep to Our Health
Hey! My name is Shelby and I’m a sleepaholic. I’ve never truly embraced this side of me until becoming a full grown adult woman, but I’m living in that reality right meow and freaking loving it. As far back as I remember though, I was always addicted to sleep, so much so that I was late to school and work countless times throughout the years because bed was just so much better than dealing with my social anxiety.
I used to think it was a problem, in that I would feel bad anytime I wanted to sleep more instead of going out, or staying in with friends, or being a social butterfly in the classroom or workforce. I actually never realized that the lack of it had such a detrimental effect on my overall health and I sure didn’t know that it was so important to put first.
Today though, I am a much more health-focused individual that wants only to think about the long game. Longevity is all I have in sight for my family and I, and anything I can do to extend this beautiful life is pushed far up on that list. Superfoods, supplements, and sleep are where its at, my friends.
…Hmm. I’m feeling an upcoming superfoods and supplements post for sure! <3
But for now, let’s get back to the main topic. Actually how important is sleep to our health and why is it that we should be spending more of our lives looking at the inside of our eyelids?
Related: Developing Routines & What is Sleep Hygiene
Did you know??
Sleep deprivation isn’t only caused by the lack of enough sleep, but ALSO by stress, poor eating habits, and depression. And you know what else? Sleep needs to be at the times its most needed. Your body will let you know! So, stop avoiding those feelings and embrace them, your overall self will be happy you did!
Here are *just a few* of the symptoms you may have experienced with sleep deprivation.
- Drowsiness
- Inability to concentrate
- Impaired memory
- Reduced physical strength
- Diminished ability to fight off infections
Which can lead into more issues down the road such as stroke or severe mood swings, EVEN hallucinations…and ain’t nobody got time for that.
(Check out this article by Hopkins Medicine to learn a little more about the causes and effects if you’re interested!)
It’s truly amazing to me how many of us go about our daily lives not even knowing that this is an actual problem and how sleep deprivation affects health. Experiencing “microsleeps” or just being angry at the world because we got up on the wrong side of the bed. Having enough shuteye each evening can seriously boost not only your mental and physical well-being, but also ensure that your productivity stays at level GO all day, err day. (Especially needed for us entrepreneurs out here).
Now I understand why it was (and IS) so freaking hard to roll my blah feeling body out of the bed each morning when the alarm hits at 4:30am. Everyone has different chronotypes and although my Oura Ring is tracking me as an early morning bird, TRUST that I am, in fact, NOT.
Lately, I’ve been listening to others talk about how they get 4-5, *maybe* 6 hours of sleep and they’re “good to go.”
PEOPLE.
That is NOT okay. (Sure, this is just the opinion of one lone crazy woman on the internet telling you so, but hey, she speaks the truth…backed by other information on the interweb, of course).
Why instead of building our sleep cycles around our jobs and daily activities, can we not build our daily activities and jobs around our sleep cycles? Is it really that hard??
Sleep Deprivation Affects Brought to By Your Favorite Streaming Service
Most people will say yes, 100% yes. It’s the modern world, my friends, which means that going hard or going home fully applies to many situations, including on the job site or in the corporate world. Although it’s slowed down some over the last few decades and Covid has given us a solid chance to prove ourselves from home, we’ve still got a long way to go in providing the ample sleeping hours that our bodies and minds truly demand.
When you think about it, it’s not really fair that we’re working at say 50-70% almost every day, simply because of our lack of desired sleeping hours. And hell, even when those hours are handy and available, we’d rather reach for the remote and sink ourselves into the latest season of the Bachelor or Yellowstone.
Then, of course, the following day consists of becoming annoyed easily, feeling groggy, or reaching for an energy drink of your choice. And for some reason, we can’t trace it back to just staying up later than we should have for something that doesn’t actually bring us that much joy.
I think it’s time we started prioritizing sleep more frequently and stopped staring at screens before bed. Challenge yourself and your loved ones to do the same if you want! Drop a comment letting your friends of HB know how the challenge is going after a day, a week, or even a month if you’re game. I suggest at least an hour before bedtime, shutting the screens down and turning on some dim lights to get yourself into the natural circadian rhythm we could all thrive in if we’d just give it the chance.
My Top 6 Energy Drinks That Aren’t Red Bull
(PS. If you MUST have an energy drink, here are my current faves that are cleaner and a teeny bit better than your girls favorite Red Bull).
- Gorgie
- Heywell
- Guayaki
- Uptime
- Alani
- Celsius (Bonus drink! I only pick these up if the others mentioned are not available and I’m needing a pick-me-up).
I also love using NUUN electrolyte tablets with the added energy or caffeine options instead of a drink. Check out these bars as well to get some calories in if you’re needing a bit of both food and energy. My current favorite is the Dark Chocolate Pink Himalayan Salt.
Again, I’m not an expert in the medical or health field, but I have had a TON of time with trial and error for my own body and the products and things I mention throughout these posts only serve to inform others of the same vital info I wish I had on hand to begin my journey with.
Because it’s simply that, a journey to find the best health that we all can, individually. However, if we can continue to come together as a community and help each other out, we can all begin to feel better, move better, sleep better and live better in the long run.
Did you enjoy today’s blog about How Sleep Deprivation Affects Health?
Thank you to all my readers including today’s post “Sleep Deprivation: The Enemy of Productivity”. Rest is so important in countering how sleep deprivation affects health. Are you an early riser? A night owl? Or a sleep-a-holic like me? Let me know in the comments. Until next time.
