Are you constantly in a poor mood and aren’t sure why? Do you feel exhausted
throughout the day, even when you felt like you slept enough? Do you find it hard to
concentrate? If so, you might be dealing with a lack of sleep. Even if you are in bed for
what seems like 7-8 hours a night, that doesn’t mean you are sleeping that long or
getting enough rest. Here are some signs that you are not getting enough sleep.

1- You Have Been in a Bad Mood

When you don’t get enough sleep, you are much more vulnerable to mood swings,
irritability, and even anger. You might find that you are constantly in a bad mood, and
don’t even know why. When this happens regularly, it is a good idea to try to figure out
why this is happening, especially when you can’t figure out any other reason for it.

Try to take a look at your sleep recently, and figure out if the moodiness started shortly
after you noticed the quality of your sleep went down. Remember that your mood and
attitude doesn’t just affect you, but your family, friends, relationships, and other people
you come in contact with.

2- You Have an Increased Appetite

Are you suddenly ravenous? Do you have a larger appetite than you remember having
before? This can also be a big sign that you are not getting enough sleep. Your appetite
changes quite a bit base don your emotional state, and whether or not you are getting
adequate sleep at night.

When you don’t get enough sleep, the hormone in your gut called ghrelin, can increase.
This makes you feel hungrier than normal, and often with more cravings of sugar,
refined carbs, and otherwise unhealthy food options.

The hunger and increased cravings might dissipate if you start improving your quality of
sleep.

3- Your Memory is Failing

You could also be experiencing lower memory function as a result of sleep deprivation.
When you go to sleep, you go through multiple phases, with the fifth phase being REM
sleep. The later phases, including stage 3 and 4, are when you enter deep sleep. All of
these are important for brain function, but especially that crucial deep sleep.

This is when your brain is able to hold onto memories from the day before, and use them for
long-term memory storage. If you never get deep sleep, you might start noticing major
holes in your long-term memory.

4- You Have Lower Productivity

Another way lack of sleep affects you is with less concentration, focus, and productivity.
Maybe you notice that you can’t focus for long stretches of time anymore, or your
concentration is failing quite a bit. You might have less productivity at work, and are
actually suffering as a result of it.

The first thing to do when you have these issues is to figure out if something has
changed recently. Start with whether or not you are getting quality of sleep. If you aren’t
sure how your sleep is, because it seems like you are sleeping just fine, consider these
other signs of sleep deprivation as well.

See you soon,

Ludmilla!