In a today’s fast-paced world, our fears of missing out have manifested into hyperactive, caffeine-fueled lifestyles where sleepless nights are a marker of strength and a good night’s sleep is outranked on both the priority and cool list. According to the CDC, more than one-third of Americans don’t get enough sleep. This has created a nationwide public health epidemic that affects more than just daily productivity.

Less Sleep Equals Less Sex

Sadly, a bad night in the bedroom and your lack of sleep are directly related.  A recent study found that the more sleep women got lead to higher sex drives. Just one extra hour each night can lead to a 14 percent increase in having sex the following day. Most importantly, more sleep was related to even better orgasms.
Additionally, The University of Chicago measured men’s sleep time and quality. They found that those who slept four hours showed significantly lower testosterone levels than those who had slept eight hours. Since Testosterone is your body’s natural sex drive, those long nights and early mornings are only getting you less action. Notably, sleep directly affects the stress levels in both men and women. Researchers found that a rise in cortisol negatively impacted our sex drives. In contrast, orgasms give us natural stress relief.  

Your Health Is At Risk

Certainly, sacrificing sleep is having all sorts of negative affects on your body. Lack of sleep is a leading cause of obesity, chronic disease and inflammation. You could be a yogi living a life of bottomless green juices and meditative moments. However, then factor long-term sleep deprivation into the equation. Certainly, you too are at high risk for diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and stroke. Common themes of anxiety, burnout, pride, distraction, fomo and every combination in-between are only some of the reasons we’re missing out on this crucial factor to our well-being. 

Work Smarter. Not Harder.

Our current lifestyles are having the opposite affect to our intentions. Our stress levels are directly related to the maintenance of one’s work-life balance. Studies show that participants who slept just 16 fewer minutes than usual, with unsatisfactory sleep quality, experienced a plethora of cognitive issues. For example, distraction and brain fog were common complaints. Importantly, this study found that heightened stress and deprived sleep may have directly resulted in poorer work performance and social interaction. 

Catch Those Much Needed Z’s 

Listen up. We don’t have to risk FOMO to catch our ZZZ’s. It’s all about being strategic about your sleep schedule. Certainly, just getting enough sleep won’t be enough to fuel our ambitions. However, with consistent, quality sleep will we be able to reach new levels of success in all aspects of our lives.
 
Here are simple tips you can implement tonight:
  •  The magic number: Opt for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night
  • Turn down to turn up: Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, at a cool temperature and use it only for sleep and sex.
  • Unplug: Make your bedroom tech-free zone: Sleepy Bliss recommends muting all incoming alerts and notifications and setting a time where you “unplug” for the night. All of that artificial, blue light disrupts your body’s circadian rhythm and melatonin levels. These are essential for good quality sleep. Would you rather stare at your phone in bed or feel all types of good with your partner?
  • Kick the caffeine: Avoid stimulants in the evening. Savor your last sip at least 10 hours before sleep.
  • Break up with binging: Avoid large meals at night.
  • End with an O: Research has shown that sex before bed can help improve sleep quality. Thanks to the endorphins released by sex, your anxiety is relieved leaving you relaxed and refreshed. Also, all of that great sleep subsequently improves your relationship with your significant other. Sex releases oxytocin, a hormone known as the “love hormone,” which has numerous benefits to your body and mind.
  • Move it to lose it: Exercising regularly will leave you feeling relaxed and stress-free when it comes time to sleep. Get in a daily sweat and release all those feel-good endorphins. 
You may think a lifestyle of restful sleep is just a pipe dream. However, with these simple steps, it’s achievable for even the busiest of bosses. Our society’s structure has ingrained us with the idea that skimping on sleep is a badge of honor. Meanwhile, sleep deprivation is manifesting hormone imbalances, leaky gut, brain fog and bad-for-the-bedroom belly fat. We need to stop trying to tough it out with a kick of caffeine. Instead, tucker out in a restful night of deep sleep and self care.