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We all know that feeling of waking up tired. You just know you didn’t get enough sleep, but there’s no chance of rolling over and dozing back off. We have jobs, school and responsibilities to get up for!

But if you find yourself waking up tired numerous times a week then it’s likely you’re going to start (or perhaps already are) suffering from one of these six awful side effects:

1: It Makes You Moody

Research has shown that a bad night’s sleep affects your mood even more than it affects your alertness. A study on 78 medical residents in 2005 had the doctors record their sleep patterns and mood level. It was found that those who were sleep deprived were much more susceptible to negative thoughts and moodiness.

2: It Affects School Grades and Work Performance

By not getting your recommended 6-8 hours of good quality sleep a night your brain seriously suffers. That’s because your brain needs this sleep in order to recalibrate itself - your brain goes through various stages during deep sleep that solidifies information and memories. If you don’t get the right amount of sleep this doesn’t happen and makes exams and work life harder for people. You will also find that your creativity levels will be diminished.

3: Increased Levels of Disease 

A 2010 study of over 54,000 Americans found that adults over 45 who had less than six hours or more than 9 hours of sleep a night were most susceptible to diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The research also showed that these people were significantly more likely to be obese or suffer strokes.

4: It Can Make You Stressed

When you are tired your body’s natural response is to release the stress hormone cortisol which, of course, will raise your stress levels. And we all know that once you start feeling stressed it can become very hard to feel less stressed. High stress levels can lead to illness, lowered immune response, infertility and mental illness.

5:  Premature Ageing

The other side effect of increased cortisol levels in your body is that this hormone, when in your body for prolonged levels of time, will start to break down the collagen in your body. Collagen is a protein that keeps your skin smooth and elastic. Without enough sleep your body will not be able to restore itself and your skin will begin to wrinkle.

6: Increased Chance of Death

Numerous research has been done on the connection between sleep deprivation and the chances of death. Scarily every researcher came back with one common answer – lack of sleep will increase your chances of dying (from any cause) by 15%.

So… what do you do?

No one wants to suffer from the side effects of a poor night’s sleep so it’s important to take action as soon as you can. But what can you do? Well many people don’t realise that one of the top causes of sleep deprivation is from a poor mattress. Too many people don’t have the correct mattress type for their needs and because of this their sleep suffers. Why not look at our blog on top tips for a better night’s sleep or advice on how to choose a mattress? It will be your first step towards investing in a better night’s sleep and improving your well-being.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at