Dec 28, 2021
Don’t Sleep On Bad Sleep Habits: Your Shut-Eye Influence These 3 Major Conditions
When was the last time you had at least 7 hours of sleep? If you take more than 30 seconds to answer, this article is for you.
Studies show that approximately 1 in 3 Americans have at least 7 hours of sleep nightly. So, if you have two other friends, chances are that only one of you is sleeping well.
Additionally, research indicates that healthy sleep patterns are prevalent among people who have a college degree or higher.
Do you fall into this category?
While you may be tempted to think that sleeping is not a big deal, here are three conditions that bad sleep habits expose you to.
- Obesity
If you’re not sleeping right, you’re likely to put on some extra pounds — and not the healthy kind.
Research shows that lack of sleep causes an imbalance in hormone release. Your body increases the release of the ghrelin hormone and decreases the release of leptin.
Ghrelin is responsible for boosting your appetite while leptin tells your body when it’s full.
This imbalance causes you to eat more than you should.
Yikes.
2. Heart Disease
Heart disease? Seriously?
YES.
Lack of sleep has been noted as an indicator of heart issues. Studies reveal that lack of sleep results in the release of the stress hormone cortisol.
Cortisol causes your heart to work harder than it should. Just as people tend to become overwhelmed when under pressure, so does your heart.
But you do not want your heart to have a meltdown. You might not come back from that!
3. Depression
Depression can be triggered by many factors. Lack of sleep is a unique case as it can be both a trigger and a response to depression.
Research shows that when you don’t sleep well, you’re less engaged and productive than you need to be. This could result in a lackluster performance on your part and cause co-workers, superiors, friends, and family to complain.
On the other hand, something unpleasant could cause you to fall into a state of depression that is layered with insomnia.
Whether as a trigger or as a symptom of depression, missing sleep is a disaster.
While doctors recommend that everyone get at least 7 hours of sleep, that recommendation is impractical for people that are trying to make ends meet.
Sadly, some people have to choose between working and sleeping — and it’s no surprise that the choice is never easy.
Recently, many mattress companies have designed products to help you sleep better. Others have even gone as far as franchising their products to boost employment in local communities.
So whether you need sleep, need the extra income, or need both, there are viable ways for you to limit your exposure to sleep-related health conditions.
