In an ideal world, we’d all be in a happy, healthy relationship, and we’d all get eight hours of sleep per night, every night. The birds would be singing melodically, and there would be no need for Red Bull, diet Coke or Star Bucks to wake up.
There wouldn’t be any more scowling at passengers on the morning train to work… because we’d be so cheerful and chirpy! If a guy happens to bash us over the head with his man-bag, big deal! We’re happy because we’ve slept so much!
The problem is that this isn’t an ideal world, and, for most of us, that picture I’ve just painted is pure fantasy straight out of a Pixar movie.
The reality is that many of us wake up each morning cursing our alarm after snatching up just a few hours of sleep. We stumble down the stairs in the darkness, make a (bad) cup of coffee and then burn our tongues and start swearing. Off we rush to the railway station in the morning drizzle, before being forcefully slammed against hundreds of greasy passengers on the noisy-as-heck commute to work.
It totally sucks, but this is what can happen when you have a poor night’s sleep – it affects your morning routine, which then affects the rest of your day. It instantly puts you in a bad mood.
Sleep Could Be The Reason Why Your Healthy Relationship Is Suffering
A good night’s sleep is important for so many reasons. It improves our memory, sharpens our mental resolve, enhances productivity, and helps our body to heal.
But did you also know that sleep can negatively impact your relationships if you don’t get enough of it? You bet it can.
Lack of Sleep Makes You Look Less Attractive
We’ve all heard a friend blame their wacky hair and dark circles under their eyes on a lack of sleep.
“Dude, I look like a zombie because I didn’t sleep last night.”
Yep, not enough sleep can have damaging effects on your looks. Sleep deprivation can actually cause acne and weight gain.
And when you’re rarely looking at your best, it can knock your otherwise healthy relationship down a notch, not necessarily because your partner might find you less attractive, but because you don’t feel sexy.
Lack Of Sleep Makes You Snappy
Arguments happen in almost every relationship, even healthy relationships. It’s just a fact of life. But when you don’t get enough sleep, even more arguments can arise, and the worst thing is that they are often born out of pure misunderstandings.
When we don’t get enough sleep, we’re not at our most attentive and responsive. When your partner screams that you just aren’t listening to them, they’re probably right.
And while you might feel as though you’re taking everything they say in, you’re most likely switching off at key moments – which can lead to grave misunderstandings.
Lack Of Sleep Can Harm Your Sense Of Humor
Particularly after a bad argument, a sense of humor is important in a healthy relationship because it lifts our spirits, and strengthens our bond with our partner.
And while you might be well-known for your sense of humor and your ability to make your partner laugh until their sides split, things can get decidedly more serious when you don’t get enough sleep.
A lack of sleep can affect your cognitive functioning for the worse. Sharp humor and witty jokes require high-level cognition, but if your levels are impaired, you’re not going to catch on when your partner is being funny.
Instead, you’re probably going to yawn and order them to stop being silly.
Sleep deprivation starts taking the fun away…
Lack Of Sleep Can Harm Your Decision Making Skills
According to a recent study, when we don’t get enough sleep, our ability to make the right decisions that are based on sound, balanced judgement goes out of the window.
As you can imagine, this can really upset your productivity at work. Instead of earning your company more money, your poor decision-making could end up losing cash and customers.
For this reason, a good night’s sleep is essential.
But it goes further than that – poor decision wreak havoc on your otherwise healthy relationship. When we’re in a relationship, we have to make decisions all the time. Some decisions are gigantic – is it the right time to try for a baby, is it time to introduce your partner to your parents, is it the time to live together and so on – while some decisions are smaller, yet still important. Skimp on your sleep and you might find yourself in a situation that you didn’t bargain for!
Sleep is super important for our overall happiness and health. Be smart about your sleeping patterns and find ways of getting more shut-eye. It’s not only important for a healthy body, but also for a healthy relationship.
Ted Ryce – Legendary Life – FREE eBook On Sleep
If you are interested in getting better quality sleep, sign up for my friend Ted Ryce’s free eBook. He has one of the top Podcast’s where he helps people master their Health & Fitness, Mindset, Productivity and Communication skills.
I heard Ted speak live at StyleCon in Atlanta about the importance of sleep, and share some of his best tips (I’m actually trying them out myself!).
