We hear about it all the time and try our best to do it. But getting close to eight hours of sleep every night just doesn’t seem possible when you become an adult. Most of us are constantly depending on caffeine to keep us going. Others opt for pills, exercise or anything they can get their hands on. It almost feels normal to not sleep enough these days, wouldn’t you say? But just how bad is sleep deprivation for your body?
As I sit here and write this right now I am cranky, tired and low on energy. So I decided to just do a quick search on just how much damage we do to our bodies by not getting enough quality shut eye. Here is what I found.

Sleep deprivation will make you get sick
It’s a no brainer than when you are sick, the best thing to do is boost your immune system with vitamins and nourishment and get lots of rest. What you may not know is that not sleeping enough can actually induce sickness! This happens by weakening your immune system and reducing your body’s ability to combat simple viruses that your white blood cells would normally demolish. If you have any underlying conditions, your body’s reaction could actually be worse from the lack of sleep. Being a working mom, I have noticed that my immune system has reduced significantly since having a baby. Guess what’s to blame? You got it, sleep deprivation and toddler germs.
You lose your memory
Ever struggled to get through a work day and felt that your brain was foggy after a rough night? It wasn’t in your head! Lack of sleep actually triggers your brain to focus on the most essential functions to get you through the day. This essentially means that it will expend less energy on others functions, including thinking. Does this mean sleep deprivation makes you dumb?
When you’re asleep, your brain also works on forming new connections that help you process and store new information, so skipping a few hours of rest could impair this process and make you remember less. If you’re a student, this information is golden and should let you know that it isn’t a great idea to pull all-nighters before an exam. Unless of course you don’t need to retain much information! The scary part is that the effects are not just short term. You can actually cause lasting damage to your memory in the long term!
Sleep deprivation reduces your sex drive
Sorry kids, this one isn’t for you… But for any married or seriously committed folk out there, it’s an interesting one to note! For men, insufficient sleep can significantly reduce the levels of testosterone. While they may not suddenly get boobs and a high pitched voice, the ‘sex drive’ loses steam. Unfortunately for our male counterparts, the drop in testosterone also has other negative impacts including difficulty putting on muscle mass. It also increases the probability of weight gain, increased chances of developing heart problems, type 2 diabetes and strokes.
You will gain weight
Did you know that your gut health is directly linked to your cognitive functioning? This makes perfect sense because your brain is also responsible for the release of certain hormones that signal when you are full (leptin) as well as when you are hungry (ghrelin). When you don’t get enough rest, your brain goes loony and struggles to regulate the production of these hormones. This results in that peckish feeling when you aren’t actually hungry.
On top of that, your insulin production decreases which makes it harder for your body to reduce its blood sugar levels. The other thing that directly impacts your weight is the lack of energy. When you don’t sleep enough, you don’t feel energetic enough to get some exercise, pair that with the imbalance of hormones and you have a breeding ground for undesired weight gain. So if you want to lose weight, try sleeping!
You will get very anxious
I’ve known this to be true and assumed that it was linked to my increased caffeine consumption following nights of little to no sleep. But what I found particularly interesting – or scary rather – is the impact sleep deprivation has on your mental health. Some of the most common side effects of not sleeping include mood changes, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and ADHD. Scary isn’t it? This happens mainly due to a chemical imbalance in your brain that may need to be regulated or treated with prescribed medication.
There have been several studies on the effects of sleep on mental health, and one particularly interesting outcome was that those with a predisposition for certain mental health issues generally had the symptoms worsen significantly when sleeping less. You can try having caffeine or listening to good music but the buildup effect will affect your mental health. If that isn’t scary, I don’t know what is!
So what can you do?
Now that we have established that sleep deprivation isn’t a good thing, what can we do to improve our sleep? Here are some simple tips that may improve your quality of sleep :
- Establish a bedtime routine
- Go to bed at the same time every night
- Stop using electronics at least 1 hour before bed
- Stop all caffeine intake after 3pm
- Drink relaxing teas (camomile, rose petals, etc)
- Use a diffuser and/or an air purifier
- Limit exercise to yoga and stretching within 2 hours of sleeping
- Take relaxing baths before bed
- Eat a high protein, low carb meal for dinner
- Stop eating 2 hours before bedtime
- Use your bedroom for sleep only
Are there any thing on this list that you have tried and like? What else would you recommend?
Eh… I always use my phone before bed
I’ve heard its not good to use it before bed but I still do to check up on social media…
Hahaha I love the honesty!
It’s better to do some workout for better sleep. I believe this and it works for me.
I wouldn’t recommend anything too hectic like CrossFit or heavy weight lifting 😅 Yoga or a slow walk is a safe bet 😉
Haha fair enough 😁
I definitely feel myself getting more anxious the less sleep I have. I know that you shouldn’t go on your device before sleeping but I can’t seem to get myself out of this habit. I deffo go to sleep far too late so maybe I’ll try, just one night a week to start, to go to bed earlier and read. Great post <3
The phone thing is a tough habit to kick. Keep trying though! Lol good luck trying to sleep early. It will be difficult at first 😅
Thanks for reading 💖
Trust me about anxiety —if I don’t sleep well, it becomes terrible for me.
I do love a routine and reading before bed. I feel that helps me unwind and get some rest. Xx
Shame I know that feeling! It’s great you found a way to cope with it though 😅
Sleep? What’s that!? LOL. I’m waiting for the day that my daughter starts sleeping through the night , my anxiety is through the roof!
Exactly! I’ll let you know when I find out 😂 Hang in there hun, there really is an end to the baby/toddler sleep issues!
I’m always sleep deprived, but I blame it on the shifts that I work. I switch between night shift and day shift each round and I do 12 hour shifts. Makes for a long night 😐
Oh dear! What do you do?
Aircraft maintenance 😏 we do long shifts 5 days on 5 days off.
Ooooh fun! You’re an engineer?
I’m more of a sheet metal technician. They just give me a fancy title 😉
Same thing in my books!
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I actually give up. I try to do all the right things but still average only 6 hours a night. I function reasonably well so maybe that’s all I need.
I’m the type of person who needs proper sleep. Otherwise, I am just not myself. I feel more irritable & become anxious. I have the issue of sleeping too much. I love naps, but have found it’s helpful when I’m stressed.
Sleeping too much? What’s that like? 😍😍😍 we definitely live in different worlds!
I’m struggling so much at the moment from sleep deprivation and have really noticed that I struggle to remember simple words! It’s funny because i’ve done everything on the list at the end of your post but nothing seems to work. Hopefully i’ll just get so tired, it will knock me into a deep sleep! xx
That sounds really rough and frustrating! How’s your mental health? I found that after seeing someone a psychiatrist and getting my depression and anxiety under check I was then able to sleep better. Not saying you are the same but it could be something that you might wanna look into 😉
My mental health isn’t great at the moment but I have lots of techniques to help. I think it might be an up in dosage of anti depressants that causing the sleep deprivation but doesn’t normally go on this long. Then, again it could also just be the year we are having! xx
💔 I’m hoping it’s just the year! It’s been a weird one for sure!
This is such an important article about sleep!!! ❤️
Good points. So much can be transformed by good sleep. Sadly, I have been missing bedtime lately because of socials with my sisters. Really hoping to catch up on sleep once the holidays are done!
Who needs sleep anyways if you’re having fun?! 😅 Just kidding. Don’t stay out too late!
Back in school, I remember been on extra alert when I spent the previous night awake doing assignments.
Nowadays, I still struggle to drop my phone before bed and it causes me serious problems sometimes, neck pains, fatigue or lightness on subsequent days. I’m getting better tho.
For me, I never gained weight from staying awake. I actually lost a lot! Maybe it’s a two-way street.
You never gained weight from not sleeping enough? Ok please leave this blog permanently 😂 Jokes aside, I envy you!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I want to gain weight. I’m too thin to lose any now. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
😠 trying to make me jealous I see!
🤣🤣🤣
I’m have recently started to do regular walks, and I notice I sleep better. Lockdown really has taken it’s toll in me and I put on weight because I was less active.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone on the weight gain. It has happened to most of us! The walks should also help you clear your mind so please don’t stop even when life goes back to normal 🙂
I’m such a creature of habit with checking my phone before bed (I say as I type this in bed) 😂 I should stop really. Great post!
Interesting post! I have to note though, I heard from my former psychiatrist that short-time sleep deprivation can actually lift one’s mood when depressed. I’m not sure how it works and indeed it won’t cure significant mental illness, so well.
I do know lack of quality sleep, even if you do get enough sleep, can contribute to weight gain and a lot of other issues.
Oh wow that’s interesting! It’s never had that effect on me even when I drowned myself in caffeine 😅