Sleep deprivation is far more common than you may think, with a consistent lack of sleep quickly becoming a threat to our mental and physical health if not addressed. Sleep experts at Bed Kingdom reveal the signs that you may be suffering from sleep deprivation and how you can combat it.

What are the signs that I’m sleep deprived?

1. Craving a takeaway

If you’re suddenly urged to indulge in a takeaway or junk food, it can be a symptom of sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep alters appetite-regulating hormones as well as metabolism and brain function. We are far more likely to turn to junk food due to the cravings for high calories, high sugar, high fat and salty snacks as a result, as a way to increase our energy levels.

2. Poor memory

Sleep deprivation affects the brain’s ability to learn and recall information. During REM sleep, the brain is active, processing information and storing memories from the previous day.

Less sleep disrupts this process because the body spends less time in this REM cycle. You may have trouble recalling what was said in a business meeting or your assignments the following day. Sleep deprivation also makes it harder for the brain to absorb new information, as it works hard to focus and take in information.

Not only is your ability to remember affected, but your motor skills suffer too. The brain’s ability to store memory also includes motor skills and physical reflexes. This is another reason why many car accidents occur due to sleep deprivation. Sleep-deprived drivers have a slower reaction time. Poor motor skills can also be problematic if you play sports with less sleep—you may struggle to execute a specific move or manoeuvre, preventing you from performing at your best.

2. Weight gain

Less sleep triggers changes in hormone levels that regulate your hunger. Leptin lets the body know when it’s full, while ghrelin signals hunger. Little sleep produces less leptin and more ghrelin—you’ll feel hungrier, but your body will be slower to react when you’re full. You end up eating more than you need to.

Sleep deprivation increases stress. Less sleep triggers an increase in cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone responsible for holding onto energy (sugars and fat) for later use. More stress means your body retains fatter.

Your insulin levels are also affected. With a higher production of cortisol, your body is less sensitive to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that changes food into energy. Your body has a more challenging time processing fats from the bloodstream when it becomes less sensitive to insulin. These fats end up stored in the body, leading to weight gain.

Less sleep also affects your diet. As previously mentioned, sleep may influence your decisions. Studies show that less sleep leads to consuming more junk food. You’re more likely to crave high-fat, high-sugar foods, like french fries and ice cream. You’re also more likely to give in to those cravings.

To make matters worse, eating these foods increases the chance that you’ll indulge in the same foods again on the same day.

3. Poor decision making

Studies show that sleep loss is tied to making risky decisions. You become more impulsive and are less likely to consider loss, only focusing on the reward. How does this happen?

In 2001, the SLEEP journal published a study on how sleep deprivation elevates the expectation of gains. Sleep-deprived participants were more likely to make risk-taking decisions if the payoff was high. The anticipation of reward stems from an area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. While the number of high-risk decisions didn’t increase, the expectation for a higher reward did.

This type of phenomenon is common in gambling. It can also be a problem in everyday life. For example, if you’re an entrepreneur or own a company, you may make risky decisions hoping for a higher reward. Further, less sleep also means your brain is less aware of loss—you could make a high-risk decision, only focused on the reward and not fully considering the consequences if you lose.

4. Overheating

Sleep is vital for our bodies to regulate our internal temperature. Therefore, if you are feeling hot, your body overheats due to a consistent lack of good quality sleep. In fact, as we get more and more tired, our brain begins to overheat with yawning being a method of compensating for this thermoregulatory failure.

Next time you feel hot and bothered, it could be a sign that you need more sleep, particularly during summer.

How much sleep do I need to avoid being sleep deprived?

This varies on your age:

• Newborns (0 to 3 months): Between 14 and 17 hours of sleep
• Infants (4 to 11 months): Between 12 and 15 hours of sleep
• Toddlers (1 to 2 years): 11 to 14 hours of sleep
• Pre-school (3 to 5 years): 10 to 13 hours of sleep
• Children (6 to 13 years): 9 to 11 hours of sleep
• Teenagers (14 to 17 years): 8 to 10 hours of sleep
• Adults (18 to 64 years): 7 to 9 hours of sleep
• Older adults (65+ years): 7 to 8 hours of sleep

Does napping make up for lost sleep?

Napping for brief periods may boost your energy levels and improve your focus. Just make sure you’re smart about how you nap. Don’t sleep longer than 30 minutes—you want to avoid slipping into the REM cycle, which can cause sleep inertia. Also, avoid napping after 3 p.m. This could make it harder for you to fall asleep at night.

How can I achieve better sleep?

Practicing good sleep hygiene is the key to avoiding the effects of poor sleep. There a number of small things you can do in your routine that can better your sleep hygiene.

1. Establish a sleep schedule

Setting a bedtime may seem childish, but in reality, it works. A set sleep and wake time makes it easier to fall asleep at night and wake in the morning. Your body will adjust to the rhythm, so when it’s time for bed, you may automatically start to feel sleepy. It’s just as important to maintain this schedule on the weekends too. Bodies respond positively to these consistent rhythms. Sleeping in for a few hours may be tempting, but this can throw off your body. Plus, if you get the right amount of sleep, you likely do not need that extra time.

1. Avoid heavy meals

There may be some truth to “eat dinner like a pauper” philosophy. Avoiding heavy meals and snacking may improve your sleep. Heavy meals take longer to digest. When it’s time for bed, your body may be focused on digesting, making it harder to fall asleep. The best time to eat dinner is between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., allowing your body time to digest your meal.

1. Keep your bedroom dark

Your body’s sleep-wake cycle is influenced by melatonin. Your body is continually producing melatonin. However, production is lowest during the day and strongest at night. That’s because the more light you’re exposed to, the less melatonin there is in your body.

Keeping your bedroom dark induces sleep. Any light exposure could reduce melatonin levels and make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. Alternatively, a sleep mask can be effective if you can’t make your bedroom dark.

1. Avoid your phone or laptop

We’ve all been there: you climb into bed and start scrolling through your phone, checking on messages, and browsing social media sites. This may be a relaxing activity to help you sleep, but it’s the exact opposite.

When you’re using any electronic device (TV, tablet, computer, or smartphone), you’re exposing yourself to blue light. Blue light tricks your brain into thinking it’s still daytime, halting melatonin production and making it harder to fall asleep. Try to avoid any electronic devices for an hour or two before bed. If you need to scroll through your phone, use your night settings or the apps that filter out blue light.

We humans spend a third of our life sleeping – if we’re lucky. The average person spends 26 years of their life asleep, meaning that we should be prioritising our sleep and sleeping conditions – because it can even improve other areas of our lives.

For the most part, however, we pay little concern to our slumber unless we’re struggling to sleep or feeling uncomfortable in our beds. And, with widespread uncertainty around the rising cost of living, you’d be forgiven for enduring some sleepless nights recently.

There are plenty of ways that you can boost your sleep quality, from committing to a schedule and improving your nutrition throughout the day to creating a dedicated mindfulness routine. With that in mind, the nutrition and wellness experts at Made4 Vitaminshave eight tips to help boost your quality of sleep.

Stick to a strict schedule

One of the most important ways in which you can maximise the quality of your sleep is by sticking to a rigid sleep schedule. Eight hours is generally accepted as the optimal amount of sleep for a healthy adult; sleep deprivation can lead to greater risks for dementia, depression, anxiety and more. Recent research suggests that oversleeping can also have negative effects on one’s health, increasing the likelihood of obesity and regular headaches.

Consistency is key – maintaining a regular bedtime and waking up time allows your body’s internal clock to establish a routine and can make it easier for you to fall asleep on an evening. If you’re struggling, a sleep calculator like this one can help you to stay on top of when your optimal bedtime and wakeup time.

Regulate bedroom temperature

Regulating your bedroom temperature helps your body maintain a comfortable temperature for sleep; during the record-breaking heat this summer, people up and down the country struggled to sleep. Since our bodies cool down as we prepare for sleep and throughout the night, maintaining a cooler temperature in your bedroom can help you enjoy better-quality sleep by preparing you for bedtime.

The ideal room temperature for sleep sits right around 18.3°C, which might seem a little cold, but with the addition of your duvet or blanket, you’ll be just fine!

Nutrition is key

According to Sleep Foundation, there is growing evidence that sufficient nutrient consumption is important for sleep. A lack of key nutrients, such as calcium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, D, E and K can be associated with sleep problems.

Meanwhile, high-carbohydrate meals can impair your sleep quality, particularly eaten close to bedtime. Diets such as the Mediterranean Diet, as well as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet, are designed to provide a positive nutritional balance. Whilst there has been limited research into these diets’ effect on sleep, early data suggests there could be a correlation between these diets and improved sleep quality.

Try a supplement

For those struggling to get the required nutrition in their daily diet, regular and tailored vitamin supplements can help improve the quality of your sleep. For example, vitamin b12 supports your body’s regular metabolism, which can help properly prepare you for sleep at night.

Other supplements, like 5-HTP and melatonin, can regulate your mood, appetite and sleep, to ensure a consistent night’s sleep. Often, the vitamins that you need to achieve a particular function, such as better-quality sleep or improved gut health, depend on demographic factors such as age, sex and ethnicity, so make sure you do your research!

Invest in your bed

Buying new duvets, pillows or even a mattress can be a painful expenditure, considering you’ll barely get to enjoy them whilst you’re conscious! However, given the amount of time you’ll spend using them throughout your life, chances are, they’ll pay for themselves.

Your sleeping positions and personal needs will help choose the correct mattress; for example, firm mattresses are recommended for people with back pain. Though bedding rules aren’t set in stone, the wrong firmness could have a negative impact on your sleep and health, so choose based on your personal preference and specific recommendation.               

Tailor your sleeping environment

The area you sleep in is almost as important as your bedding and mattress – creating an environment in which you feel comfortable sleeping can make it easier to fall asleep and encourage deeper, better-quality sleep.

It goes without saying that your room should be quiet and dark – be sure to switch off any devices with built-in lights or screens, and keep your room dim if you’re reading before bed. If you’re having to deal with irregular or inconvenient noises throughout the night, earplugs may be helpful. Alternatively, you could try using a fan or white noise generator in your room to help you block out other noises.

Make the most of nature during the day

Your circadian rhythm – essentially your body’s natural clock – is what tells your body when it’s time to sleep. Sunlight helps dictate your circadian rhythm, and keeps it in consistent cycles. This means that it can be harder to get to sleep if you’ve not been outside in the morning on a given day.

By ensuring that you get regular access to sunlight every day, you can help keep your circadian rhythm regular and reliable, and maximise your chances of being able to sleep properly.  

Create a mindfulness routine         

Research suggests that 73% of 25-35-year-olds chronically overthink, and the most common time for overthinking is when you’re trying to sleep, because all distractions have been stripped away.

To prevent anxiety and rumination from obstructing your sleep routine, try implementing a customised mindfulness routine. This can include blocking out all sources of anxiety – like turning off your phone an hour before bed – or taking a long, calming bath before bed.

If you’re worried about multiple things, it can be helpful to write them down before going to sleep; that way, they’ll remain on the page rather than bouncing around in your head.

Dr Bhasha Mukherjee, Medical Lead at Made4 Vitamins, comments: “The vast majority of British people are aware that they should be getting eight hours of sleep each night, but have little idea about how to actually achieve a full night of good-quality sleep. Many of the steps to ensure a good night’s sleep must start earlier in the day, and can range from mindfulness to nutrition and ensuring you get out in the sun during the day!”

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Getting less than five hours of sleep in mid-to-late life could be linked to an increased risk of developing at least two chronic diseases, a new study led by UCL researchers.

The research, published in PLOS Medicine, analysed the impact of sleep duration on the health of more than 7,000 men and women aged 50, 60 and 70, from the Whitehall II cohort study.

Researchers examined the relationship between how long each participant slept for, mortality and whether they had been diagnosed with two or more chronic diseases (multimorbidity) – such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes – over 25 years.

People who reported getting five hours of sleep or less at age 50 were 20% more likely to have been diagnosed with a chronic disease and 40% more likely to be diagnosed with two or more chronic diseases over 25 years compared to people who slept for up to seven hours.

Additionally, sleeping for five hours or less at the age of 50, 60, and 70 was linked to a 30% to 40% increased risk of multimorbidity when compared with those who slept for up to seven hours.

Researchers also found that sleep duration of five hours or less at age 50 was associated with a 25% increased risk of mortality over the 25 years of follow-up – which can mainly be explained by the fact that short sleep duration increases the risk of chronic disease(s) that in turn increase the risk of death.

Lead author Dr Severine Sabia (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health, and Inserm, Université Paris Cité) said: “Multimorbidity is on the rise in high-income countries and more than half of older adults now have at least two chronic diseases. This is a major challenge for public health, as multimorbidity is associated with high healthcare service use, hospitalisations and disability.

“As people get older, their sleep habits and sleep structure change. However, it is recommended to sleep for 7 to 8 hours a night – as sleep durations above or below this have previously been associated with individual chronic diseases.

“Our findings show that short sleep duration is also associated with multimorbidity.

“To ensure a better night’s sleep, it is important to promote good sleep hygiene, such as making sure the bedroom is quiet, dark, and a comfortable temperature before sleeping. It’s also advised to remove electronic devices and avoid large meals before bedtime. Physical activity and exposure to light during the day might also promote good sleep.”

As part of the study, researchers also assessed whether sleeping for a long duration, of nine hours or more, affected health outcomes. There was no clear association between long sleep durations at age 50 and multimorbidity in healthy people.

However, if a participant had already been diagnosed with a chronic condition, then long sleep duration was associated with a 35% increased risk of developing another illness. Researchers believe this could be due to underlying health conditions impacting sleep.

Jo Whitmore, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation said: “Getting enough sleep allows your body to rest. There are a host of other ways that poor sleep could increase the risk of heart disease or stroke, including by increasing inflammation and increasing blood pressure.

“This research adds to a growing body of research highlighting the importance of getting a good night’s sleep.”