When it comes to getting a good night's sleep, 2 out of 5 Australians struggle regularly. This means 40% of Aussies are NOT getting the recommended amount of 7 to 9 hours shut-eye each night. 

Consistent weeks, months, and years of low-quality sleep pose a significant risk to long-term physical, mental, and emotional health. Did you know a lack of sleep can significantly impair your immune system? Yet, that's not all it can do. Keep reading to find out how your less-than-average sleep is impacting not only your body, but the future of your health: 

Compromised Immunity

Poor quality sleep can significantly affect your body's ability to fight illness, as poor sleep can reduce the amount of infection and viral fighting antibodies in your system, leaving you sicker for longer with impaired immunity to ward off harmful pathogens.

Cognitive Difficulties

Do you ever have those moments where you just can't think? Everything is foggy, your brain isn't firing fast enough, and you feel mentally drained. Well, many are dealing with this on a daily basis due to a lack of sleep. Like all organs, your brain also needs rest to continue functioning at an optimal level. Memory, decision-making, reasoning, and problem-solving skills are all known to be severely impacted with a less than average night's sleep.

Diminished Libido

Poor sleep is known to severely impact libido due to the changes in hormones affecting mood and the obvious, just being too darn tired. One study revealed that young men experiencing decreased sleep had a significant reduction in testosterone levels over one week. Getting only 5 hours of sleep or less demonstrated a reduction of sex hormone levels by 10-15%. So, if your love life is lacking, it might be time to prioritise your shut-eye!

Poor Recovery

Are you not bouncing back in between workouts? Feeling like your body is low on battery power? Quality sleep is imperative for proper recovery and performance, whether you train casually or at an elite level. It's suggested that the growth hormone is released when in a state of deep sleep, which is responsible for muscle growth, recovery, and repair. Lack of sleep can significantly increase the risk of injury, throwing you off your game for weeks, even months at a time.

The five reasons you aren't sleeping well:

Too Much Caffeine. 

We all like a good cup of coffee or three throughout the day, but could your favourite cup of joe be keeping you up at night? Caffeine has a half-life of 4-6 hours which means that even after 6 hours post-coffee, stimulant fuelled pre-workout, or energy drink, half of the Caffeine is still in your system. If you think your 3 pm cup of coffee is impacting your sleep, opt for a decaf alternative or go for a caffeine-free energy hit like Evolve Carnitine RX. 

Late-night Sugar Hit. 

Late-night cravings can not only interrupt your progress if you're on a weight loss journey, but they can also keep you awake for longer as while your body should be resting, it's busy digesting and metabolising. For many of us, a pre-bedtime snack is solidified in our evening ritual, just a tea and a few biscuits or perhaps a bowl of ice cream with your favourite toppings and mix-ins to hit those sweet cravings one last time before the day is through.

Heartburn and indigestion are a few common issues many come face to face with when battling sleep interruption, along with stomach discomfort. Not only can these sorts of foods affect digestion, but they can also impact your ability to switch off due to stimulating ingredients like sugars and Caffeine. Try swapping your late-night treats for a high protein option instead! Opt for a guilt-free chocolate protein shake or protein custard to hit the spot, promote recovery and complement a good night's sleep without interruption. Not sure what Pro-Treat flavour to go for? We now offer Pro-Treat samples to give you absolute reassurance you're investing in a dessert your taste buds will love! 

 

Are you feeling stressed? 

Stress is well and truly a part of our day-to-day lives for many of us. From physical, mental, and emotional stress to family and work worries, the impact of long-term or chronic stress may be doing more damage than you think. When experiencing threatening or challenging times, our bodies naturally respond by producing Cortisol (the stress hormone) in the adrenal glands, which continues to remain elevated for several hours, even after those stressful feelings have subsided. The issue with high cortisol levels is that they can contribute to those 'on edge' feelings, raising your core body temperature and heart rate, which ultimately impacts your ability to feel comfortable, relax and fall asleep. 

As mentioned, stress is a part of our day-to-day lives, and actively taking steps to adopt helpful coping mechanisms like reducing blue light exposure, caffeine, and taking a little time out to practice self-care have proven to be more than helpful. 

Too much screen time?

We're all guilty of a before-bed scroll. Whether it be Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, or Netflix, whatever your app of choice is, it could be significantly affecting the quality of your sleep! Did you know before-bed screen time can alter your Melatonin production? The vital sleep hormone Melatonin is responsible for letting your body know when it's time to wind down and sleep; however, when exposed to the blue light of your phone, laptop, or TV, this critical hormone becomes confused, signaling your body to wake up. Your Melatonin levels increase as the sun begins to go down, so constant exposure to artificial lighting may affect Melatonin production when it's time to wind down and go to sleep.

Try ditching your electronic distractions at least one hour before you intend on falling asleep. Opt for an audio book or podcast instead or if your phone has a light altering function such as a night light, switch it on and dim the brightness level for a more calming light while you're trying to wind down.

Poor exercise recovery 

Are you hitting the gym day in, day out without getting quality recovery and rest between sessions? Top-tier nutrition and rest are imperative for your results; however, if you're experiencing sleep-disturbing muscle cramps, joint aches, and nervous system stimulation during the night, it might be time to look into your recovery routine. Poor exercise recovery not only hinders your results but puts you at a higher risk of injury along with those constant tired of being tired feelings. It can be a pretty detrimental cycle, especially when you're working towards specific health and fitness goals. 

The solution:  Evolve Beauty Sleep! Incorporate this game-changing sleep-supporting supplement into your nightly routine for the ultimate mind and body recovery. Thanks to a matrix of recovery supporting ingredients like collagen, magnesium aspartate, Zylaria, and more, Beauty Sleep does all of the hard work for you, allowing you to catch up on quality sleep. At the same time, your body receives the recovery it deserves.

Whether you’re a CEO, tradie, stay at home mum or social media maestro, everyone needs quality sleep to maintain optimal health for both the short and long term. We highly recommend taking some time out to assess your sleep routine and identify areas that could use improvement. Remember, long term sleep issues can lead to chronic illness, high blood pressure, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and mental illness to name a few. It's time to put your sleep first.