We know that sleep is important for our health—long-term sleep issues have been linked to worse cardiovascular health, a weakened immune system and cancer.
But how do you know if you’re getting enough?
“Sleep really varies from person to person, and as we age, the amount we need changes,” says UNC Health family medicine doctor Victoria Boggiano, MD.
There are guidelines for how much people of different ages should sleep, but your body might already be telling you what you need.
Look for these clues that you could use more shut-eye.
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You don’t want to get out of bed, and you run out of steam before the day ends.
We all have days when we want to lounge in bed and days when a long to-do list wears us out. But if you’re consistently struggling to get out of bed and always longing to get back in it, you might not be getting the right amount of sleep.
“When we’re well-rested, we often find that we have the ability to do the things we want to do in a day without fatiguing,” Dr. Boggiano says. “When people consistently feel fatigued as they go about their day, looking at sleep quality and quantity is part of the solution. Working to improve your sleep can be really transformative.”
Interestingly, being tired in the morning can be a sign of not getting enough sleep, but it can also be a signal that you’re actually getting too much.
“If you wake up and still feel exhausted, like you want to go right back to bed, then it can be too little or too much sleep,” Dr. Boggiano says. “Because there’s so much individual variation, it can be hard to get to that perfect spot.”
It may take some time to find your perfect amount of sleep, but your goal should be to feel rested and ready for the day when you wake, able to make it through what the day has in store, and tired at bedtime.
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You can’t shake your bad mood and are irritated by everyone around you.
There’s a reason why we ask grumpy people if they woke up on the wrong side of the bed or tell a cranky toddler that it’s time for a nap—sleep has immediate effects on our mood.
“A lack of sleep causes mood changes, so that you feel anxious, depressed, irritable and stressed,” Dr. Boggiano says.
Sometimes stress can become a vicious cycle with your sleep schedule. Maybe you have a stressful day at work, and you’re so worked up that you can’t go to bed. As you stare at the clock, watching the sleepless minutes go by, you know the next workday also will be stressful because you won’t be well-rested.
“Stress and sleep are a chicken-and-egg situation,” Dr. Boggiano says. “Stress makes it hard to sleep, and lack of sleep causes stress.”
A lack of sleep can affect how you interact with the people closest to you, including partners, children and friends.
“Our ability to navigate social dynamics, take care of a loved one, and be present and engage in conversations are all affected by how much sleep we get,” Dr. Boggiano says. “When we’re not getting enough, those social connections suffer.”
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You’re making poor food choices and skipping the gym.
Our circadian rhythm—the internal clock that helps us go to sleep at night and wake in the morning—influences our appetite.
“The hormones that affect hunger and fullness can get out of balance when you’re lacking sleep, so you’ll likely reach for more food and less healthy foods as a response,” Dr. Boggiano says. “It can feel like an insatiable hunger that you can’t get ahead of.”
Sometimes, you might make unhealthy choices because you ran out of time; maybe you had trouble getting out of bed, so you find yourself going through a fast food drive-thru rather than preparing oatmeal or cutting up some fruit. Other times, you might find yourself eating mindlessly, like consuming an entire bag of chips without realizing.
Junk food depletes your energy, and eating too much can make it hard to sleep later.
And when you’re tired, who wants to exercise? If you typically make it to the gym or take a walk most days but notice that you haven’t felt up to it for a while, addressing your sleep may help.
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You’re making errors or having a harder time completing tasks.
Lack of sleep can increase the chance that you’ll make an error or forget something. Maybe they’re small errors—you put your shirt on backward or leave your lunch on the kitchen counter—but they can also be consequential.
“Driving on little sleep has real safety implications,” Dr. Boggiano says. “Your processing speed is slower, and that affects your accuracy. You might not be able to do some of the basic things you take for granted.”
Even if you’re not making high-stakes errors, lack of sleep can make your work more difficult than it needs to be.
“You might still be making good decisions, but it will feel a lot harder,” Dr. Boggiano says. “Your ability to process tasks decreases, so it feels harder to write a complex email or complete tasks you normally do.”
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You don’t look like yourself in the mirror.
For some people, just a night or two without good sleep is enough to cause bags under the eyes, puffiness, dryness or a dull complexion; for others, those skin effects take time to show up. Lack of quality sleep has been associated with a wide range of effects on the skin, including psoriasis, acne, rosacea and premature skin aging.
The effects are more than just skin-deep, though. You may find that you don’t have the energy to think about your outfit or style your hair, and as a result, you don’t feel like your best self.
Steps to Take When You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep
Identifying how many hours of sleep you need will take time, but Dr. Boggiano says there are a few quick steps you can take when you’ve recognized that you’re operating on a deficit.
“Stay well-hydrated, which can help the body regulate until you can get some quality sleep,” she says. “Try to reach for more nutritious foods.”
Caffeine can dehydrate you, so while it’s tempting to have a second cup of coffee or an afternoon soda after a bad night’s sleep, don’t consume more than you usually would.
Don’t jump into a rigorous or challenging workout when you’re sleep deprived, but a brisk walk or riding an exercise bike can be helpful for a quick burst of energy and to help your body be more ready for sleep in the evening.
A nap might help some people, but it depends.
“Sometimes, a short nap can revive you, but it might make you more exhausted,” Dr. Boggiano says. “You have to consider how acute your exhaustion is, and what you need to get you to your next good sleep. Then, start to think about what you can do to get a regular sleep plan in place.”
Struggling with sleep? Talk to your doctor. If you need a doctor, find one near you.