Have you ever woken up on the “wrong side of the bed”…? We all have… countless times… and it’s not a good time. It has a huge impact on our attitudes and happiness that following day. We might feel tired, foggy, groggy or irritable. Although our quality of sleep is not always within our control, there are plenty of active steps we can take to improve our sleep hygiene and live happier.

But what does it mean to wake up on the “wrong side of the bed?” Well, it’s not just a metaphor for being cranky – there are physiological changes that take place when we do not get enough quality sleep. In a study conducted by the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago, results showed that one night of sleep deprivation caused a 45% increase in cortisol levels in the participants that following day. FOURTY-FIVE PERCENT! Cortisol is our bodies’ leading stress hormone and is normally triggered by a fight-or-flight crisis or major trauma. Waking up on the “wrong side of the bed” forces our bodies into an unnecessary state of stress and tension for nearly a 24-hour long period of time. Higher cortisol levels are also strongly corelated with physical health conditions like obesity, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems.

A lack of sleep can LITERALLY change the course of our lives. How do we treat our loved ones when we are stressed out? How does anxiety impact our decision-making ability?

We believe that perception is reality. But we know that poor sleep induces stress and anxiety. So, if stress and anxiety impact our attitudes and perception, then sleep has a direct impact on our respective realities.

So, what have we learned? Sleep deprivation significantly increases our bodies’ production of cortisol which increases our levels of stress and anxiety. This anxiety impacts our perspective throughout the day, and our perspective dictates our reality. Better sleep means a better and happier life.

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Dream big, work hard, sleep ambitiously.
Joe Castignani