Other than waking up tired in the morning (yaaaawn) have you ever wondered if your body is giving you signs that you are not getting the optimal amount of sleep you should be? Read on to learn about some of the signs you may not instinctively associate to lack of sleep.

Your appetite increases

If your body is not recharging from sleep, it may try to supplement the lack of energy with eating more food. Along with trying to balance out lost energy, a lack of sleep can disturb important hormones which increase cravings for fatty and sugary foods, as well as decrease the signals in your body which let you know that you are full.¹

Your impulse control changes 

Sleep has been proven to be tied to the brain’s ability to practice self-control and attention, a process which gets compromised when you are not getting the ideal amount of Zzz’s. The energy needed for better self-control is easier spent than it is replenished, so impulsive behaviour can definitely be a red flag that you need more sleep.²

You have memory trouble

Sleep is an important process for making new memories, so it is critical to be well rested so you can form moments into your memory. Deep sleep, which helps you form memories, happens later in sleep and in a cyclical pattern, so the more sleep the better.³

You get sick often

Getting a good amount of sleep is important for the immune system to fight off infections, inflammation or stress. If you are getting sick often, it may be due to immune system suppression, as well as the lack of infection fighting antibodies due to lack of sleep.⁴

^{_______________}

References

1 https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20906153,00.html?slide=106521#106521

2 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00284/full

3 https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/sleep-deprived-productivity-suffers-memory-decision-making-creativity.html

4 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/expert-answers/lack-of-sleep/faq-20057757