How bad is lack of sleep for your body?

How bad is lack of sleep for your body?

Every person needs a specific amount of time to rest and sleep at nights. This differs with each individual according to many factors including their genes, age, lifestyle etc Once you have found out exactly what your specific needs are, you must try and stick to the “right” amount of sleep for you.

How do you find out what the exact amount of sleep you need is?

On an average day when you have not done too much or too little, or had too much stimulants like caffeine, go to sleep at a reasonable time, say 10 pm. Do not put an alarm in the morning and keep your curtains closed. See what time you wake up naturally in the morning. This will give you an idea of how much sleep you need per night.

What happens when you don’t sleep enough?

Reality is that many ailments and problems stem from lack of sleep. Here is a small list!

• Stress – many people who are super-stressed during the day, are stressed because they didn’t sleep enough at night.

• Low Testosterone – Can be caused by lack of sleep and the fact that you didn’t give your body enough time to manufacture necessary hormones.

• Illness – Your body is a marvel of a chemistry lab and can manufacture pretty much any drug. However you need to give it a chance and this can only be done when you are sleeping. If you don’t sleep enough, you can bring on illness much quicker

• Anger/Agitation – People who haven’t slept enough are much more edgy and nervous. Have you noticed sometimes you wake up and you are very angry and on edge in the morning? It is probably because you haven’t slept enough.

• Obesity – During sleep, you produce hormones that can balance your bodyfat levels and burn fat. If you don’t sleep enough, you can have a body that is out of balance.

• Skin problems – Many skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis can be helped by sleeping enough.

• Allergies – Allergies can also be helped when you sleep a sufficient amount of time at night.

• Lack of energy – You can rebuild and repair your body from the daily grind if you sleep enough. Those who sleep sufficiently have a lot more energy.
  

What can help you sleep better?

Less caffeine

More relaxation such as deep breathing

No stimulation before sleeping such as video games or tv

A herbal tea such as chamomile

A comfortable bed

A good routine, where you sleep at the same time

Not eating too late in the day or 2-3 hrs before sleeping

In conclusion, it pays to have good sleep. A supplement that can help you sleep is 5-htp.