1. Frequent Awakenings Throughout The Night
If we find ourselves awakening throughout the night one or more times regularly, then we are not getting the much-needed sleep we deserve. Several different factors can cause these awakenings, and we should not ignore them. For example, waking up to use the washroom throughout the night is a condition otherwise known as nocturia caused by another condition called Sleep Apnea. In addition, alcohol consumption before sleep causes our bodies to process the excess sugars throughout the night. In turn, it will cause a person to experience higher levels of nocturia and increased snoring. Implementing better sleep hygiene may be beneficial – learn more about sleep hygiene and how to improve it here.
2. Increased Appetite And Weight Gain
With poor sleep comes the need to look for ways to increase energy levels during the day. These needs may present as our bodies naturally feeling hungrier than average and possibly craving junk food. These urges to binge are associated with a higher risk of conditions such as depression, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Increased appetite and weight gain are signs that your sleep and your overall health may need improvement. Learn more about the link between weight gain and sleep apnea here.
3. Impaired Memory Or Concentration
Have you ever experienced that afternoon fog, where your head feels like it’s in the clouds? The chances are that your poor sleep is affecting your daytime quality of life. When we get a well-balanced night of sleep, it increases our ability to concentrate and focus on the tasks at hand. But, on the other hand, poor sleep will cause our reaction time to decrease, our memory to be impaired, and our overall cognitive functioning to be affected. Read more about how Sleep Apnea can impact your memory in this article.
4. Changes To Our Appearance
There are several signs that an individual’s sleep needs to improve; but, one of the most notable is having red puffy eyes that may also include large dark circles or bags forming around the eyes. In addition, having a poor night of sleep can also cause specific individuals to experience skin issues such as “breaking out,” as they may not be getting the restorative sleep they need.
5. Changes In Mood And Emotions
As anyone might expect, without recharging our internal batteries effectively every night, our dispositions tend to take the brunt of the damage. Changes in one’s emotions may be one of the first signs of needing to improve our sleep. Poor sleep may cause one to feel more stressed out and not cope with the day-to-day situations that arise. It may also cause one to be more sensitive or emotionally exhausted as they cannot conjure up the energy to deal with or address the daily needs throughout the day. There are studies that show links between quality of sleep and anxiety levels.
6. Inability To Fall Or Stay Asleep
The average adult should obtain a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep a night, and if we cannot get this due to the inability to either fall asleep or stay asleep, we need to improve our sleep habits. For example, taking more than 20 minutes to fall asleep or waking up and taking more than 20 minutes to return to sleep are indications that you are having a night of poor sleep, and further investigation as to why may be beneficial.
7. Daytime Sleepiness Or General Fatigue
What is daytime sleepiness or fatigue? If this is a question that you are asking yourself, you may be suffering from this very issue. It is not uncommon to feel tired during the day, and you may notice this with yawning or the sensation of feeling drowsy; however, daytime sleepiness is more problematic than just the average daytime yawn. Daytime sleepiness can present as the need to sleep in the most inappropriate times and situations, such as driving or operating equipment. Having these situations occur is a significant indicator that your overall sleep needs to improve, and we should do a further investigation as to why we are not getting the sleep we very much need and deserve! You can help avoid these dangerous situations by learning more about the warning signs and how to combat tiredness in this great article from the Sleep Foundation.
