How can Poor Sleep Impact Your Well-Being?

While sleep is an integral pillar of our overall well-being, more often than not, it is the most neglected aspect of many of our daily lives. Our modern, dynamic lives, filled with long working hours, staying glued to smartphones to skip bedtime, and irregular schedules, have one thing in common, which is poor sleep hygiene. This silent epidemic impacts how you feel throughout the day and has some profound effects on our physical, mental, and emotional health.

Many studies and research have consistently proven that poor sleep increases the risk of chronic conditions, compromises cognitive functions, and even affects emotional regulation. This blog is the setting stone for understanding the importance of sleep, the different stages of sleep, and actionable tips for improving your sleep quality.

Types of Sleep

First of all, let us understand the two fundamental types of sleep:

REM Sleep (Rapid Eye Movement):

• REM is a phase where your eyes move rapidly and the brain becomes highly active, while your body remains immobilized.
• REM sleep is crucial for your emotional regulation, problem-solving, and restoring memory. It has been highlighted that a deficiency of REM sleep can hinder your brain's ability to process emotions and retain information.
• It can result in emotional instability, difficulty in focusing, and reduced creativity.

NREM Sleep (Non-Rapid Eye Movement):

• NREM sleep is further bifurcated into three stages, each contributing to different aspects of your health.
• This phase supports physical recovery, such as muscle repair and growth. Studies suggest that athletes' and individual speedy recovery depends on NREM sleep.
• Additionally, it supports the detoxification of the brain, preventing cognitive decline.

Stages of Sleep

Sleep progresses through different stages, touring between REM and NREM:

Stage 1: Light Sleep

• It is called a transitional phase from wakefulness to sleep. It lays the base for deeper sleep.
• In this phase, your muscles relax, your heart rate slows, and your breathing catches the rhythm. During this stage, a person is easily awakened.   

Stage 2: Deeper Sleep

• It is a more settled phase where your brain slows, body temperature drops, and heartbeat decreases.
• It accounts for 50% of total sleep time and prepares your brain and body for a much deeper and restorative sleep.

Stage 3: Deep Sleep

• This stage is critical to physical restoration. It is when your body performs essential functions like tissue repair and strengthening your immune system.
• It is during this stage, that the growth hormones are released, supporting your muscle recovery and cellular repair.

Stage 4: REM Sleep

• Your dreams are most vivid during this phase of sleep and the brain is highly active.
• It supports memory consolidation, learning, and emotional processing.
• Interrupted REM sleep can cause irritability, disturbed concentration, and increased stress levels.

Impacts of Poor Sleep

Here are a few risks attached to poor sleep quality:

Cognitive Impairment:

• Poor sleep can cause reduced attention span, poor decision-making, and lag in reaction time.
• Studies suggest that even a single night spent without adequate sleep can lead to short-term memory impairment and executive functions.

Mood Changes:

• As a matter of fact, sleep deprivation is directly linked to increased anxiety and irritability.
• It hampers the equilibrium of neurotransmitters, causing emotional instability and escalated stress.

Physical Fatigue:

• Your physical performance and overall productivity go for a toss because of tenacious tiredness from lack of sleep.
• This drops you into a vicious cycle of stress and further sleep deprivation.
• Many cardiovascular conditions like hypertension and chest pain are caused due to poor sleep hygiene. In fact, it amounts to disturbed metabolic processes, leading to obesity and diabetes.

Weakened Immune Functions:

• Studies have found that people who sleep less than 6 hours a night are more prone to colds and infections, thus compromising basic immune functions.

Mental Risks:

• Poor sleep is a significant factor leading to depression, anxiety, and other such conditions.
• It can even deteriorate the existing mental health conditions and reduce your ability to cope with this stress.

Emotional Well-Being:

• Your emotional resilience decreases when you are not getting enough sleep, leading to you being more reactive to negative stimuli.
• It even reduces your ability to process and respond to daily tasks and stress.

Professional & Social Impact:

• Lack of sleep can lead to reduced energy and focus, thus making you less productive and making errors at work.
• Socially, it leads to mood swings which strains your personal relationships and social interactions.

Tips to Improve Your Sleep Quality

Setup a Stable Sleep Schedule:

Go to bed and wake up at the same time every single day to wire your brain into a synchronized circadian rhythm. A schedule helps you reinforce the natural sleep-wake cycle.

Limit Screen Time:

With the ever-increasing use of laptops and smartphones, people are highly exposed to blue light which damages melatonin production, delaying sleep onset. You might want to switch screen time with soothing & calming activities like reading, meditation, and yoga.

Create a Soothing Sleep-Loving Environment:

Have your walls painted in soothing colors like blue, white, or off-white. Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool at night for better sleep. You can use blackout curtains to help.

Avoid Stimulants:

Limit caffeine and nicotine intake, especially after 6 PM. You can switch to soothing herbal teas, like chamomile or peppermint.

Regularly Exercise:

Engage in daily physical activities like a brisk walk 30 minutes before bedtime to reduce stress and tire your body before bed. Also, avoid overstimulation.

Conclusion: