Lack of Sleep: Symptoms and Causes

Missing out on a good night’s sleep can be really debilitating. Most of us have experienced the feeling of a sleepless night when the next day feels like a serious slog and all you can think about is going back to bed. You can’t concentrate as well, work-related tasks feel 10x harder than usual, and socialising or exercising feel a million miles away. 

Two-thirds of UK adults suffer from disrupted sleep, with half saying they don’t get the right amount of sleep. Often, societal pressures can make getting the recommended amount of hours (7-8) difficult, plus a culture that applauds little sleep and exhaustion. But getting enough sleep is integral to optimum health, and is just as important (if not more) than healthy eating and regular exercise. 

The short term effects of sleep deprivation are quite startling, but it’s when it builds up over time that there is an increased risk of more serious mental and physical health issues. Sometimes, as life gets busy and caffeine keeps us wide awake, we can miss the signs that we’re suffering from a lack of sleep. 

Understanding the symptoms and causes of sleep deprivation can go a long way towards identifying why it’s happening and how to ensure you get your 8 hours. 

Lack of Sleep Symptoms

The primary symptoms of sleep deprivation include excessive sleepiness in the day, mental fog, difficulty concentrating and irritability. 

Feeling extremely tired in the day is a hallmark sign that you’re lacking sleep. If you’re trying to resist nodding off at work, knocking out on your commute or drifting off mid-conversation, these are signs that you may not be sleeping enough during the night. It’s an incredibly uncomfortable feeling, especially when you need to be wide awake at work. You may feel that your thinking is slowed and your problem-solving skills have waned. 

 Symptoms of sleep deprivation:

• Lack of energy
• Slowed thinking
• Difficulty concentrating 
• Memory issues
• Inability to make decisions or poor decision making
• Mood changes (anxiety, depression, irritability, short-tempered) 

Recent research suggests that a significant percentage of your sleep habits may be inherited. Additionally, your caffeine intake may be masking some of the above symptoms, so it’s important to take this into consideration. 

Why do naps make me feel more tired?

So here’s the thing, when you’re sleep deprived your body releases a bunch of hormones to help get you through the day, or whatever challenges you’re about to take on. It releases the stress hormone Cortisol which helps keep you awake and alert – this would have been beneficial if you had to stay awake to fend off predators, but now you just end up feeling super stressed and uptight. 

After your nap, you’re more rested and the hormones are no longer needed. They drop off so you have nothing to help keep you awake and mask the effects of the sleep deprivation, leaving you feeling truly whacked. You’ve actually caught up on sleep which is great, and you’ve helped lower stress hormones in your body, also great. But you will be feeling the after-effects of that drop in hormone production and you’ll likely need even more sleep to truly get yourself levelled out. 

Lack of Sleep Causes

There are numerous potential causes of sleep deprivation, but here are the most common:

• Stress – whether it’s work, family issues or loss, finances, trauma, illness, divorce, these things can keep your mind busy at night, making it difficult to settle down. 
• Circadian rhythm – if you work night shifts or travel regularly, your circadian rhythm may be disrupted. Your body clock can get out of whack from a change in routine and disrupt your sleep/wake cycle. 
• Poor nighttime routine – if you’re stimulating your brain and staving off sleep at night, you won’t be able to drop off when you finally hit the pillow. Late-night screen time, stimulating movies, working late and checking emails, all signal to your brain that you’re not ready to sleep yet. 
• Mental health issues – if you suffer from an anxiety disorder or depression, this can affect your sleep cycle. 
• Substances – caffeine, alcohol and nicotine can stop you from falling asleep as they are stimulants. Fizzy drinks or coffee before bed can keep you awake, and alcohol can disrupt the quality of sleep that you get. 

How to Improve Your Sleep

Here are some top tips for increasing the amount of sleep and quality of sleep that you get:

• Stay away from caffeine after 12pm – you should limit your caffeine intake to the mornings, as it can affect you up to 10 to 12 hours after consumption. 
• Consistent sleep pattern – you should try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day. Even if you don’t sleep straight away for a while, stay consistent and it will come. 
• Exercise – tiring your body out in the day is a great way to help you drop off in the evening. Your body and brain will need recovery and you’ll hit the pillow feeling positively tired. 
• Limit or avoid napping – if it’s avoidable, you’ll want to avoid napping anything more than 30 minutes in the day. If you nap for too long, you’ll find it hard to fall asleep at a reasonable hour. 
• Check your medication – if you take regular medication, check to see if the side effects can affect your sleep. 
• Start a healthy bedtime routine – cut off screen usage at 8 pm and that includes a TV. Opt to read a book, do some yoga, play a board game, or listen to relaxing music instead. 
• Try supplements – magnesium is proven to help improve sleep and reduce anxiety. 

Written by Jessica Redman

Personal trainer and entrepreneur My name is Jess and I’m a personal trainer and run my own online training business at workthat.co.uk. I’m currently studying for a Masters in Strength and Conditioning, and I love all kinds of sports and training, as it is my go-to stress reliever and hugely helps my mental health. I love open water swimming, watching Arsenal play football (sometimes) and pumping playlists whilst running.