Sleep, diet, and exercise act as the foundation to our entire wellbeing – both mental and physical. You may be surprised to find out just how much poor sleep can affect every single aspect of your daily life and help. The risks of not giving your body the rest it needs can bring life-long consequences, but it’s never too late to start taking care of yourself adequately. Read on to find out what symptoms may be telling you a few extra hours of sleep might be needed, and how you can be getting yourself back on track.
This blog will walk you through the risks imposed by a lack of proper sleep, as well as a few key tips on how to get your sleeping habits back on track. If you’re struggling to get the rest you need as a result of pain and injury, get in touch with Studio X Phys today.
The Dangers of Poor Sleep
Everyone has felt the effects of a poor night’s sleep. Headaches, drowsiness, and lack of focus can make the days following miserable, but the long-lasting consequences of rough sleep habits may be worse than you might think. People failing to get the appropriate amount of rest may find themselves suffering from bodily pain, migraines, fatigue, mood swings, and exhaustion that can put them at risk of passing out or falling asleep during the day.
Beyond that, lack of sleep can greatly affect your overall physical health. Regular exhaustion leaves many people at a higher risk of diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and heart disease. For many people pain or discomfort causes difficulty getting to sleep, but the lack of rest only makes healing harder and increases pain in the long haul. The mental effects can be equally as devastating – negatively affecting overall wellbeing and happiness, as well as making the brain cloudy and decreasing the ability to focus for long periods of time.
How Much Sleep Should you be Getting?
So, what exactly should your sleep schedule look like? One of the most important things is that you find consistency. Routine and regular sleep makes a world of difference in your daily life. The general rule of thumb is that the average person needs eight hours of good sleep every night. But everybody is different, many may need more whilst many others may need less – for example, teenagers often require closer to ten hours to function effectively.
The key is to listen to your body. If you feel tired, fatigued, or need naps to get through the day, chances are you aren’t getting the amount of sleep you need.
The Benefits of Proper Sleep
You’d be shocked at how much of our wellbeing comes down to having a healthy, well rested body. Taking care of yourself physically heightens your physical health, your body’s ability to fight illness, your mental health, and what you’re capable of achieving in a typical day. Here are just a few ways sleep improves your standard of leaving:
- Helps you lose weight
- Lessens your risk for several conditions and diseases (obesity, heart disease, etc)
- Increases fertility
- Helps you focus
- Boosts immunity
- Makes you less temperamental/susceptible to mood swings
Our Top Sleep Tips
Listen to Your Body
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – if you feel tired, you are tired! You should be getting enough rest to get you through everything you need to achieve in the day. Don’t ignore what your body is telling you, but listen and adapt.
Catching Up on Sleep Takes Time
Years of poor sleep won’t go away with one good night’s rest. Build a routine of regular sleep and invest the time to see yourself feel better. Exhaustion can massively build up, so make the most of weekends and free nights to squeeze in those extra hours you’ve been craving.
Routine
It’s all about consistency. Find the night-time routine that’s going to put you in the best position for a good night’s sleep. Get your body in the habit of knowing precisely what time to wind down, and find the habits that help ease you into drowsiness (whether that’s stretching, reading, distancing yourself from screens/blue lights in the hours leading up to bedtime, whatever you need!)
Assess Your Lifestyle
Trouble getting to sleep can come from many different causes. For many people, there’s a chance that stress is negatively affecting your ability to rest at night. Take a look at everything you’re doing and find what may be adding unnecessary stress to your system – whether it’s long hours at work, lack of exercise, a lot of time spent staring at screens, or generally being stretched too thin. Finding the cause and adjusting your lifestyle to give you both enough time and the right mindset to get the sleep you need will make a world of difference.
Book an Appointment to Tackle the Effects of Bad Sleep
If you’re struggling to sleep, chances are you are well and truly feeling the consequences. But there is always something you can do and ways to help. If you’re suffering from pain or injury that’s negatively affecting your sleep pattern, don’t wait for things to spiral out of control. At Studio X Phys, our team of Physiotherapists is ready to help you tackle your pain and build a plan to help you get the rest you need and put your body on the path to healing. To find out how we can be helping you, book an appointment today.
