There is nothing worse than waking up after feeling like you haven’t had any rest at all. Lockdown may have changed your routine: you might not need to have such an early start to the day, and your ‘to do’ list may be pretty minimal, but getting a good amount of sleep is an important lifestyle habit for a healthy body and mind, whatever the circumstance. Here are a few negative impacts a poor night’s sleep can have on our psychological health.
Appetite control and body dissatisfaction
Although sleep does not directly create a healthy body weight, it helps regulate the hormones that control your appetite and a poor night’s sleep is associated with a higher risk of obesity. When you are tired, you may be more likely to reach for the sugary snacks to give you extra levels of energy. If you suffer from body image issues, this can be extremely discomforting.
Social interactions
A poor night’s sleep has been associated with a lowered ability to recognise emotions and read body language in social situations. When you’re tired, you may not be able to identify significant social cues and process emotions as well. If you have relationship issues, a poor night’s sleep can be particularly damaging.
Depression
Sleep plays an important part in relaxing the triggers in our body that release stress hormones, and allows us to cope better with setbacks that we may bump into throughout the day. The fact that sleep plays a major part in our cognitive ability and how we deal with our emotions means that a poor night’s sleep can result in feeling low and frustrated.
Self-esteem and confidence
After a poor night’s sleep, we may have diminished motivation for carrying out daily tasks. If you are tired and not responding well to social interaction, have reduced cognitive function, and are feeling anxious about eating more than usual, this can dramatically affect how you see yourself.
If you worry about your sleep quality and want support to change this, contact me today and reap the psychological, as well as physical benefits of a proper night’s rest.
