What are the risks of getting too little sleep?
Why too little sleep is bad for you
The best quality beds in the world are of limited benefit if you don’t spend enough time in them. We all know we should get a certain amount of sleep in order to stay healthy and we’d all probably admit that we probably don’t get quite the amount of sleep, let alone good quality sleep that we should. But what are the risks of getting too little sleep? Will not getting enough sleep have any serious health implications?
The Dangers of getting too little sleep
Aside from repeated use of the ‘snooze’ button and the danger of sleeping through your alarm altogether, there are some real detriments which can be caused by getting too little sleep.
- Your Memory Will Suffer – Spending enough time in the various stages of sleep is essential for your brain to sort and file the memories and experiences of the day. If you don’t spend enough time sleeping, you’ll find yourself forgetting things more often.
- Your mood will be affected – if you haven’t slept enough, you’re likely to be as irritable as you are drowsy, which may lead to flares of annoyance when dealing with others, especially given that sleeplessness results in a build up of the stress hormone cortisol.
- Your energy levels will drop – Being too tired is likely make it tempting to skip the activities you usually enjoy or attend the gatherings you usually go to, making you far less active. Over time being more sedentary has health implications of its own.
- You’ll be less alert – Getting too little sleep can leave you far less alert than usual, to the point where you could be a danger to yourself and others. This is especially so if you’re a driver or operating machinery, research suggests that driving when tired can impair you as much as being drunk behind the wheel.
- Your appearance will suffer – Sleep rejuvenates the body as well as the mind. Too little sleep will result in dark rings under your eyes as the collagen in your skin gets broken down by the extra cortisol in your body.
- More severe health issues – Continually getting too little sleep over time can lead to more serious health problems, such as high blood pressure, an increased risk of stroke and an increased risk of suffering heart attacks amongst others.
The wrong bed could be responsible for getting too little sleep
Getting the right amount of sleep to keep your body and mind healthy is as much about quality as it is quantity. No bed can give you the rest you need if you spend too little time in it, but for a bed that allows you to relax, to be comfortable and to spend as much time as possible asleep, it’ll need to be of good quality and right for you.
At Longbeds, we know that modern beds aren’t always the right size or shape for everyone. People are far taller than they used to be, meaning that the current ‘standard’ bed sizes aren’t always adequate. Added to this, older and lower quality beds can prevent you getting the best nights sleep simply because they aren’t as comfortable and supportive as they should be.
Good health and a good nights sleep go hand in hand, so if you find you’re getting too little sleep depite spending enough time in bed, then it’s time to invest in your own wellbeing and contact us for information on a custom made bed that’ll likely give you the best nights sleep you’ve ever had.
