Sleep Quality of Life Impact – What is it?
Your quality of sleep has a huge impact on your overall quality of life. While you sleep, your body undergoes your restoration process, fosters processed information into learned information, retains memories, and much more. We have broken down different factors that are greatly affected by good sleep and poor quality sleep, which in turn affect your quality of life.
Memory
If you continually get poor quality sleep, then your memory will suffer. You need a good night sleep, so your brain has time to process and store your memories without being interrupted or interfered with. Otherwise, you may begin to have trouble remembering names of people you just met, that new place you just ate at, or forget to run an important errand. The longer you lose sleep, the longer you will lose these memories, and this can become very frustrating and potentially a big problem if, for example, you forget to pay an important bill. Living in a haze of forgetfulness can put strains on social relationships.
Health
Sleep experts and physicians agree on the long-term negative health effects of chronic sleep loss. Losing sleep is very hard on your heart as it leads to the risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. In addition, chronic sleep loss puts you at great risk for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke.
Mood
It probably comes as no surprise, but losing sleep has a significant effect on mood. Commonly expressed as “waking up on the wrong side of the bed,” poor sleep can put you in a bad mood immediately from the time you wake up. Along with being grumpy, poor quality sleep may make you feel more stressed, angry, sad, and mentally drained to the point you are indifferent. However, all it takes is just one good night of sleep to completely turn your mood around and make you happy, agreeable, and energetic.
Mental Health
Your quality of sleep has a big impact on your mental health. Mental health issues such as depression and anxiety are strongly linked to poor sleeping habits, lower sleep quality, and sleeping disorders. According to some estimates, 90% of patients with depression complain about their sleep quality.
Getting the recommended hours of sleep every night is extremely important to your mental health. Sleeping less than six hours is associated with a decrease in quality of life and an increase in symptoms of depression. But getting too much sleep can have the same effect; sleeping more than nine hours is associated with a decrease in quality of life and an increase in symptoms of depression.
Poor sleep can lead to mental health issues, and mental health issues lead to poor sleep. This terrible cycle is often accompanied by stress, and great stress can also cause anxiety. Both stress and anxiety keep you awake and agitated, making it extremely difficult for you to sleep. Other mental health issues that greatly affect sleep are depression, anxiety disorder, and ADHD. All of these issues have a similar relationship with sleep as anxiety does; the worse you sleep, the worse your mental health problem gets and the worse your mental health problem gets, the worse you sleep. Quality of life plummets in this situation.
Social Life
Sleep has a big impact on our social lives and our close relationships, most noticeably with our intimate relationships. If you continually sleep poorly and end up canceling plans with friends because you are too tired to do anything, this could put a strain on your relationship. However, that strain is a much smaller problem than the one that can arise between you and your intimate partner due to sleep deprivation. When one partner experiences a poor night of sleep it is more likely there will be a conflict the next day. Not only are they likely to be grouchy and irritable, but they also have less empathy as a result of their sleep deprivation. We are all less likely to think about how our actions or words will be taken by our partner after a night without sufficient sleep.
It has also been noted that couples tend to get less sleep and less quality sleep the night after there is conflict or a fight in the relationship. This can create a cycle of fighting during the day and losing sleep at night. This cycle can cause a lot of stress, which also makes it difficult to fall asleep. Less and less sleep only amplifies stress and may create another vicious cycle of sleep deprivation. Do your part to ensure you and your partner both sleep well, helping you foster a healthy relationship.
Immune System
Sleep is an important time for your immune system. It’s the time when your body is at rest so it can focus on repair and fighting off sickness. Your mother encourages you to get your rest when you fall ill for a good reason! Even a small amount of sleep deprivation lowers your body’s ability to fight off sickness and infection. Your white blood cell count is lowered, and your body produces fewer antibodies when you lose sleep, and chronic sleep loss can make you more susceptible to a cold or the flu when it’s going around. Some studies have found that you are up to three times more likely to catch a cold as it’s going around if you get less than seven hours of sleep at night.
Weight
Your quality of sleep and weight are also related. Studies have linked poor sleep to weight gain, and chronic sleep can lead to obesity. It has been observed that those who get less sleep also weigh significantly more than adults who get the 7-9 hours of sleep we recommend. If you have been trying to lose weight, but are having difficulty, you may want to take a look at your sleeping tendencies. Getting a quality sleep at night is a major factor for aiding weight loss. Getting a good night sleep will help motivate you to work out because you will feel more energized during the day. Consequently, the flip side is also true and you will find it much more difficult to muster the will to work out if you are losing sleep at night and open the door to more weight gain.
Tips for a Quality Night of Sleep
All of these life depriving issues have a simple fix. Get your sleep! You will be amazed at how much improvement you see in your life after consistently getting the proper amount of sleep. Not only will you be in a better mood, but you will also feel better. Feel well rested, healthy, strong, and energetic. To help you live your best life by getting your best sleep we have compiled a quick list of simple lifestyle solutions to your sleeping problems. Enjoy!
- Regulate sleep and wake times. Consistently go to bed and wake up at the same times every day, including weekends.
- Exercise. Staying active is great for your overall health and also promotes a good night’s sleep with no interruptions. However, be sure to avoid exercising within 3-4 hours of your bedtime. Otherwise, the stimulation from exercise can keep you from falling asleep.
- Don’t get caught napping. Avoid or limit naps to no longer than 30 minutes. Otherwise, you will have difficulty both falling and staying asleep when it is bedtime.
- Skip the nightcap. Even though it may make you drowsy, alcohol disrupts sleep leaving you tired and groggy throughout the day. Also, avoid caffeine and nicotine late at night as they are both stimulants and will make it difficult to fall asleep and to stay asleep.
- Get comfy. Sleep on a comfortable mattress and make sure your bedroom is comfortable for sleep. Keep the temperature cool, but not cold, keep the room dark, and consider running a fan or white noise machine to help induce sleep.
- Wind down. Create a relaxing bedtime ritual free from electronics. Bedtime rituals are something you consistently do before going to bed for the night. This can include taking a warm, relaxing bath, reading a good book, or listening to soft, relaxing music.
- Reserve the bedroom for sleep and keep it that way. Avoid reading, using electronics, or participating in activities other than sleep and sex in your bedroom. Keep it consistent, so when you go to your room, your body knows it’s time to sleep.
Final Thoughts
Talk with a Board Certified Sleep Physician about your results and to get additional insights into your sleeping problems and treatment options so you can get back to sleep and start enjoying life again!