Some people choose to skip sleep when there are things that they would rather do than lie in bed. You may stay up later than your bedtime on occasion, but it is not a good idea to make a habit of this behavior. That’s because the lack of sleep leads to poor mental health, a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, obesity, type II diabetes, and hypertension according to the CDC. It can even lead to an early death. If you are experiencing the following five key signs that you are not getting enough sleep, you may want to see what you can do to rectify this problem now:

You Notice that You Are Gaining Weight

The body has hormones that regulate your appetite, and sleep allows the body to produce them, but some of these hormones increase your appetite. For example, when you are getting insufficient sleep, the body creates more ghrelin, a hormone that increases your appetite. Less sleep also prevents the body from producing leptin, the hormone that makes you feel full. This is a recipe that leads to weight gain. 

You Begin to Crave Food That is Not Good for You

This sign has an evolutionary explanation. At one time back in the distant past, fats and carbohydrates were highly coveted because people could not eat these foods all of the time. On the rare occasions that they could have those foods, their brains would say, “I like that! Give me more!” These foods are not so hard to come by these days, but your brain still operates as if it is living in the “feast or famine” days. This is why you will continue to crave foods with fats and carbohydrates even though you can have these foods any time of the day that you want them. 

You Are Drinking More Caffeine

This one is not a surprise. When you do not get enough sleep at night, you may feel groggy in the morning, and the best way to make yourself feel more alert is to drink a few cups of coffee. Although this takes care of the problem of being groggy in the morning, it will cause other issues later. As you apply this remedy to many sleepless nights, it can cause anxiety or insomnia as time goes by. 

You Are Experiencing Depression

Those diagnosed with depression have an increased risk of suffering from insomnia, and those experiencing insomnia have a higher risk of experiencing depression according to sleep experts. They don’t know which one comes first, but they do know that insufficient sleep keeps your body from regulating its emotions. 

You Notice that You Cannot Focus and Learning Suffers

While you sleep, you fall into non-REM sleep, and this is when your brain prepares itself to learn new things the next day. If you are not sleeping, your ability to learn new things drops by 40%. That is because insufficient sleep affects the hippocampus. This is the part of the brain that is instrumental in creating new memories.

If you feel you are not receiving enough sleep at night, look for ways to fix the problem. Perhaps you need to eliminate caffeine in the afternoon or evening or buy a new mattress, but getting enough sleep is important and should be made a priority.

Published by: Khy Talara