Living a busy life or working weird hours can cause many people with sleep deprivation or the tendency to over nap. Yes, over-napping/sleeping is a thing that can also cause our bodies to not function properly.
If you experience these five things, you might not be sleeping in a healthy way.
1. You gain weight.
The improper amount of sleep can cause two hormones in our bodies, leptin and ghrelin, to become out of balance. These two hormones regulate feelings of hunger and satiety if they become out of balance our body no longer knows how to determine if it's full or not. Inadequate amounts of sleep also cause us to release higher amounts of insulin after we eat which promotes fat storage rather than regularly digesting it correctly.
2. Your blood pressure spikes.
Sleeping less than five hours in a night can also increase a risk factor for elevated blood pressures.
3. Your immune system gets weaker.
Your immune system will notably weaken itself without the proper amount of sleep due to not giving your body enough rehabilitation time to function properly. You can increase your risk of catching common diseases and sicknesses.
4. Your memory gets worse.
An inadequate sleep can affect your memory retention as well. During sleep your brain processes and retains new information but not getting enough can alter short-term and long-term memory.
5. You have a constant bad mood.
It's no surprise that we can be irritable when tired but constant inadequate sleeping can eventually long-term affect your mood. Irritability can lead to short temper or even some severe cases of depression and anxiety.
The average adult needs to maintain around seven to nine hours of sleep each night. More often than not, studies show average adults get anywhere from five to six hours a night. If you notice yourself with various symptoms of being sleep deprived, try keeping a sleeping log to see just how many hours you may be getting.
If you need help falling asleep try drinking calming tea before bed, shutting your phone off, or take melatonin to help ensure you're getting enough sleep.
