Whether you’re fighting for weight loss, success at work, or you’re just working towards starting something new; achieving your goals is all about effort, right? But did you know that you could be literally sleeping away your success? Studies have found that there’s a huge (massive, really) link between sleep and things like weight or emotional stress.
If you’re uneducated about what sleep should be like and how to achieve that, you could be ruining your goals and not even realize it; particularly, when you’re losing weight. It’s not just sleeping too little that could ruin your goals either – you could be sleeping too much!
Studies found that with education alone, 100% of participants were able to improve their habits
What does this mean? Simple, you can train yourself to sleep better. Better sleep, means better results when it comes to your goals. When surveyed, 37 working women who were exhibiting poor sleeping habits were able to improve them with just 3-5 weeks of light educational training on effective sleep and good sleep hygiene.
The three big effects poor sleep habits have and how they impact your goals
There are three basic ways that have been proven again and again to disrupt your goals in terms of sleep problems.
1. Poor sleep hygiene has been linked to depression
Studies have shown that if you have under 6 hours of sleep or over 8 hours of sleep, you’re at a much greater risk of depression. As someone who’s gone through bouts of depression, I’m here to say that this can and will definitely impact your motivation, will to keep moving, and overall energy level.
2. Not getting enough sleep can dramatically affect our relationships
When you’re trying to achieve something, a support system is fundamentally important. Medical News Today has reported that couples especially have been completely pinned each other against on another after even just one night of poor sleep when studied.
3. Sleeplessness and oversleeping linked to diabetes and weight gain
The international journal of obesity (IJO) has reported that there is a definite link between weight gain and sleeplessness. The truth is, gaining unwanted weight can be detrimental for your health; but what’s worse is the impact it has on your self-esteem, energy, and even your interpersonal relationships. IJO reports, “The odds of obesity (BMI 30 kg/m2) was 3.7-fold greater (95% CI: 2.7–5.0) in men and 2.3-fold greater in women (95% CI: 1.6–3.1) who slept less than 5 h.”
What can you do to keep your goals from rotting away due to poor sleep?
Your first step to making sure that you’re not impacted negatively by your sleeping habits is to educate yourself. It’s not enough just to think about sleep what can do. If you want to achieve your goals, you need to take actionable steps to improving your sleeping habits. Want to learn more about the steps you can take to improve your sleep? Check out my article, 5 Best ways for you to get better sleep naturally.
Sources:
- Relationaship Between Depression and Sleep Disturbance – Natural News
- Research on Relationships and Lack of Sleep – Medical News Today
- Effect of Sleep Education Study on Women – Natural News
- Links Between Obesity and Sleep – International Journal of Obesity
