Let me start by saying I am terrible at getting enough sleep. And I don't just mean the occasional late-night binge-watching shows or staying up too late reading. I have struggled with insomnia on and off for years. My mind races at bedtime no matter how exhausted I feel. Yet each morning, I drag myself out of bed to juggle parenting, work deadlines, bills to pay, groceries to buy, dogs to walk, laundry to fold...You get the picture. I'm always on the go and constantly behind on sleep.

But here's the thing -- I know sleep is essential. Whenever I prioritize getting 7-8 hours a night consistently, it's like I can tackle my chaotic life with much more patience, clarity, and stamina. The difference in my mood, concentration, and energy levels is truly astounding. So why do I keep sabotaging myself by skimping on sleep?
I'm guessing many of you also downplay the importance of sleep. Let's face it, scrolling social media or bingeing Netflix shows is way more fun than sleeping. We get FOMO thinking about all we'll miss out on while unconscious for 7+ hours. Plus, so many of us struggle with stress and anxiety that interrupts our ability to fall or stay asleep. I've realized these excuses and obstacles make it easy to neglect much-needed rest night after night.

After a string of sleepless nights spent working late and rising early, I found myself nearly falling asleep at stoplights on my commute. My productivity tanked even as I guzzled more caffeine. I felt moody, irritable, and totally lacking motivation in both my career and personal life. When I started experiencing heart palpitations and panic attacks, I realized my lack of sleep had become a huge problem. I knew something had to change before my health deteriorated further. I decided then and there to figure out how to take better care of myself by prioritizing rest and recovery.
While transforming old habits didn't happen overnight, I slowly implemented various lifestyle changes to promote more high-quality sleep. Along the way, I learned just how much our nightly sleep impacts mental and physical health both short and long-term. Now that I make getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night a priority, I feel the difference in every aspect of my life.

My Wake-Up Call: Facing the Health Impacts of Sleep Deprivation
Last year when I ended up at the doctor with heart issues, chronic exhaustion, and emotional volatility that seemed to appear out of nowhere, I was reminded just how much we take our health for granted when we're in our 20s. As a young, active person I incorrectly assumed I could keep burning the candle at both ends indefinitely with no consequences beyond feeling tired sometimes. I wouldn't win any awards for healthy lifestyle habits by a long shot, but before last year I hadn't experienced any major health scares either. However, after months of chronic sleep deprivation, the cracks began to show both mentally and physically.

My doctor asked about lifestyle factors that could be contributing to the issues I came in with. As we reviewed my habits and schedule, it became clear lack of sleep topped the list of unhealthy behaviors impacting me. I admitted that I routinely got 5 or 6 hours of sleep each night but didn't see why that mattered since I "did fine" on little rest. My physician went on to explain the host of ways skimping on sleep slowly wears away at optimal functioning across essentially every system in the mind and body.

As I learned more about sleep's importance to things like mood regulation, immune support, injury prevention, metabolism, and cardiorespiratory health among others, I felt equal parts concerned at my risks for developing additional health issues in the future and relieved that there were tangible steps I could take to correct course. I left that doctor's appointment with both a list of negative impacts caused by ongoing sleep loss as well as a set of actionable solutions to improve sleep quality and duration moving forward.

Final Thoughts on Why Sleep Matters
If someone told me a few years back that the secret to feeling my best lies in an extra couple hours of shut-eye each night, I would have laughed it off as an oversimplification. Yet now with the proof of lived experience behind me, I cannot overstate just how incredibly life-changing healthy sleep habits have become. Far from a passive waste of time, high-quality sleep proves essential for optimizing everything I once hustled relentlessly to try accomplishing in those stolen hours past midnight.
In closing, I encourage you to take a personal inventory of your sleep habits if you skipped over that part upfront! Consider trying a two-week challenge implementing some of the sleep-boosting tips shared here or other healthy changes to remove obstacles between you and consistent great sleep. You very well might be blown away just as I was by how refreshed mood, dialed focus, glowing health, and unmatched vitality naturally overflow into everyday life when we simply commit to giving ourselves that precious gift of restoration night after night.

Alisa Kryeziu

Alisa Kryeziu, is a seventh-semester bachelor’s student at the European Campus Rottal Inn studying health informatics. Throughout her degree and up until now, she has developed some experience in writing research papers and blogs. She would like to help understand how essential is sleep for well-being in daily life.