The power of sleep

By Beatrix Schmidt

Today’s world is all about achieving more and more every single day. 

We constantly aim for growth, progression and this drive to better your life in all areas. Our days became so fast paced that sacrificing a little bit of sleep here and there is now pretty normal. There are so many things to do, so many friends to see that we find it challenging to keep up with all the demands of the lifestyle we created. 

When was the last time you had a great night sleep?

We all know that sleep is essential. We get told that we must get a certain amount of sleep to feel refreshed and alert all day. We also hear about the dangers of sleep deprivation and how much it will affect our health and wellbeing in the long run. But most of us ignore these warning signs because the affects are not visible straight away. We have coffee, energy drinks or eat more to make us more alert and keep us going during the day. 

Is this where you are at the moment?

Over the years the so called ‘sleep debt’ mounts up. I know this because I have been through it myself. I got to the point that I was living in this cycle of lack of sleep and days filled with eating and drinking anything that kept me going. I pushed my boundaries so much that my body had no choice but to send me a proper message. I was waking up at night because my nose was bleeding over and over again. I was exhausted and my body was just not functioning properly.

Studies show that over time sleep deprivation can cause serious health issues including heart disease, diabetes and obesity. It is also shown that most people who suffer from a health problem will also have the history of a sleeping problem way before the actual physical symptoms shown up. 

Did you know that one in three people in the UK suffer from poor sleep?

Sleeping affects everything you do one way or the other!

    1.Productivity at work

When you are not rested, your productivity goes down. You are not able to focus on a project as long and you are constantly running around wanting to catch up with everything you must do before the day ends.

    2. Communication skills 

Lack of sleep will massively affect the way you communicate with others. You are less patient to hear someone’s suggestion, you get defensive more easily and just not able to be present when talking to others because your attention span decreases too.

   3.Reaction time 

We heard a lot about this from the media. When you are not rested, you are much more likely to get into dangerous situations and accidents. Think of the last time you were tired and dropped a mug or even stepped off the pavement without looking around properly. It is a scientifically proven fact that lack of sleep will decrease the reaction time to any sudden movements. This of course includes the time when you are driving as well.

   4.Body weight

Getting up tired after a restless night means that you are going into an ‘energy roller coaster’ for the rest of the day. You will be eating more because that is the only way your body can create more of what you need to keep you going. If you drink coffee, energy drinks or snacking on biscuits and cakes in the afternoon, you know what is happening to your energy levels. This is a sign that your body needs more nourishing sleep as well as a more balanced way of eating

  5. Immune system

It has been proven that those who don’t sleep well at night will have weaker immune system. You will pick up more cold and coughs, more likely to get sick more often and for longer too. Remember the last time you had a bad cold or even flu, the only thing you wanted to do was sleep. That is your body telling you to give your immune system a boost by allowing your body to rest and recover.

  6. Sex drive 

Of course lack of sleep will affect your sex drive. When you are tired all the time and not able to sleep properly your libido will also decrease. I don’t think I need to explain it to you, if you struggle to sleep you have experienced it already.

These are only a few areas which is affected by lack of sleep. I am sure by now you understand how all of the above will also link to other areas of your life. 

But I promise you, it is not all doom and gloom! There are many different ways you can start improving your sleep. I am here to help and support you to do this one step at a time. There is no better time to start then now... so lets start with a challenge. During this video series (over the next 5 days) I am going to share my top tips on how you can improve your sleeping to get to that great night sleep you deserve!  

Remember, sleeping is recovery time for your body and your mind. ( an interview with Beatrix)  

Join me for 5 days of powerful tips on improving your sleep one step at a time. I am really looking forward to supporting you on this journey. We start on: this Monday, are you in?

Beatrix Schmidt, Health and Wellbeing Consultant, Reflexologist, is in row 33 on our Practitioners' List

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