Unless you have some high-tech gadget that monitors your sleep, you may not know if you’re sleeping well or not. For example, people with sleep apnea don’t even realize they momentarily stop breathing, which interrupts their sleep. They might wake up somewhat tired, but may feel think they had a good sleep the night before.
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Sleep is essential for overall good health and is the key component to next-day energy. So if your energy has taken a hit, and you want to know exactly how well you’ve been sleeping, consider some of these signs.
4 signs you aren’t sleeping well
1. Coffee becomes your beverage of choice
There’s nothing wrong with waking up with a cup of Joe. And sure, it’s still okay to have another by the afternoon. But if your beverage of choice for the day is strictly coffee, or other caffeinated drinks, you most likely didn’t sleep well the night 
before.
If your caffeine intake is becoming excessive – where you drink something like coffee not because you enjoy it, but because it keeps you awake – you may have a sleep disorder. Consider talking to your doctor about getting your sleep monitored to ensure you’re actually sleeping properly.
Too much caffeine can also have health consequences. It can disrupt your sleep and cause symptoms such as headaches and lead to dehydration. Instead of reaching for coffee, opt for water. Staying hydrated has been shown to keep you alert and energized.
2. You’re frequently using the bathroom at night
Although bladder and prostate issues can increase as we age, they aren’t the only reason why you may be heading to the bathroom throughout the night. If you don’t have any medical conditions associated with your bladder or prostate, but bathroom visits are increasing at night, you could have a sleep condition.
3. You lash out at others
If the slow barista, traffic, and barking dog send you into a rage, it could be a side effect of not properly sleeping. When we don’t sleep well our stress increases and we can become angrier. The small stuff, which wouldn’t normally bother us, becomes a stressor and we irritable.
As a study from the University of Pennsylvania revealed, those who slept 4.5 hours a night were far more easily agitated. Get some rest to avoid lashing out.
4. You sleep in on your days off
If Saturday rolls around and you don’t get out of bed until noon, you’re probably missing out on essential sleep. Sleeping in on the weekends is your body trying to make up for lost, or poor sleep throughout the week.
Sleep is important for health and if up until now you thought you were getting enough, these signs will reveal otherwise.
There are many things that can keep us up at night including stress and sleep disorders. Getting to the bottom of why you can’t sleep to make for a more energized, healthier you.
Related Reading:
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How to sleep without sleeping pills
There are many reasons why we can’t sleep, so it is a good idea to get an understanding of the causes of insomnia, and the symptoms of insomnia, before we discuss natural sleep remedies and tips for better sleep. Continue reading…
Sources:
http://www.prevention.com/health/not-sleeping-well
