When you’re not getting enough sleep every night, your short- and long-term well-being suffers.

Here’s what to do about it.

Try an Unexpected Technique a Sleep Doctor Swears By

What Is Sleep Hygiene, Exactly?

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Sleep is more important than you could ever, well, dream.

And not getting enough of it is actually pretty detrimental to your short- and long-term well-being.

One is a proper diet.

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clinical psychologist, sleep specialist, author ofThe Women’s Guide To Overcoming Insomnia, and Director of Sleep Health atSleepopolis

Another is proper exercise.

And sleep should really be the third pillar.

And if you are a chronic insomniac, she notes that there are effective treatments available.

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Medication is not the only answerit is just one of the answers, she says.

Those are the people that need to start putting pressure on themselves to sleep more.

This is what happens if youre not getting enough sleep

1.

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Mood and mental health issues

REM sleepone of the four stages of the sleep cyclehelps withmood regulation.

So, sleep loss can cause negative mood states like irritability and crankiness.

Anxiety issues can develop, too, and actually this is more common in women than in men.

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clinical psychologist, sleep specialist, author ofThe Women’s Guide To Overcoming Insomnia, and Director of Sleep Health atSleepopolis

The same team also found that those who already suffer from chronic worry experience this effect the most.

Disrupted concentration

Focusing is difficult enough in 2020, right?Not sleeping makes it all that much worse.

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Theres an additional bit of bad news here, too.

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Onestudyshows that just one sleepless night results in higher blood pressure levels the following day.

We find that even one night of real sleep deprivation lowers your bodys immunity, she says.

So, you might get sick more, just because you cant fight off germs easily.

This insulin resistance can then lead to the development of pop in 2 Diabetes over time.

So, you have a higher risk of Diabetes [with sleep deprivation], she explains.

Onestudyshowed, in fact, that buildup increased by 5% after just one nights loss of sleep.

And that can put you moreat risk for later-in-life brain-related decline like dementia and/or disease like Alzheimers.

When people haveAlzheimers, we find these plaques in their brains, Dr. Harris explains.

Could thousands of dollars worth of technology help you sleep better?

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