We’ve all experienced that foggy feeling after a restless night. You might lose your train of thought mid-conversation, struggle to focus on work or find yourself rereading the same sentence several times. When poor sleep becomes an ongoing problem, these effects may become more noticeable.
Insomnia involves persistent difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or getting restorative sleep, along with problems functioning during the day. While researchers are still uncovering exactly how insomnia affects the brain, evidence suggests it may influence several areas of cognitive function.
If you regularly struggle to get a good night’s sleep, you probably notice the effects the next day. You might feel exhausted, struggle to concentrate or reach for an extra coffee. But ongoing insomnia may also be affecting something less obvious: the way your body manages blood sugar.
Research suggests that both the quality and amount of sleep we get are linked to our risk of developing type 2 diabetes.1 So, what exactly is going on while we sleep? Insulin is a hormone that helps move glucose from your bloodstream into your cells, where it can be used for energy.
If you regularly struggle to get a good night’s sleep, you’ve probably noticed how drained you can feel the next day. But the effects of poor sleep may go deeper than low energy. Sleep and the immune system are closely connected, and ongoing insomnia may interfere with your body’s ability to defend itself against illness.
Your immune system is your body’s defence network - It helps fight infections, heal wounds and protect you from disease. Getting enough high-quality sleep gives this system the time and conditions it needs to work effectively.
If you regularly lie awake at night, the effects may extend well beyond feeling tired the next day. Research points to a relationship between insomnia and high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, particularly when sleep problems are frequent or ongoing.
Insomnia can look different from person to person. For some, it’s trouble falling asleep. For others, it’s waking through the night, rising too early, or simply never feeling like their sleep did the job. Researchers are still working out exactly how insomnia and blood pressure interact, but the evidence increasingly suggests it’s a two-way relationship, where each can make the other worse.
If you’re eating well and staying active but still finding it difficult to manage your weight, your sleep may be worth a closer look. Sleep is much more than downtime. It is an essential restorative process that supports the brain and the health of the entire body.
Research has consistently linked insufficient sleep with a greater risk of weight gain and obesity.1 For most adults, around seven to nine hours of sleep each night is considered appropriate for good health. Regularly falling short can affect appetite, food choices, activity levels and the way your body uses energy.
We all have nights when sleep just won’t come. Maybe you find yourself staring at the ceiling long after going to bed, or perhaps you fall asleep easily but keep waking throughout the night. An occasional restless night is usually nothing to worry about. But when poor sleep becomes a regular occurrence, it may affect more than just how tired you feel the next day.
Research increasingly suggests that insomnia is associated with cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease, heart attacks and heart failure.
Most of us have had nights where sleep just will not come. You might lie awake thinking about tomorrow, wake several times during the night, or find yourself staring at the clock far earlier than you would like. An occasional restless night is normal. But when poor sleep becomes a regular pattern and starts affecting your days, it may be insomnia.
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder in Australia, with around one in three adults experiencing insomnia symptoms, and around 10 to 15% meeting the criteria for chronic insomnia.
Have you ever struggled to remember something after a poor night’s sleep, only to feel much sharper after getting some proper rest? There’s a good reason for that - Sleep does much more than help us feel refreshed. It gives the brain valuable time to organise, strengthen and store the information we pick up during the day.1
Scientists have studied the connection between sleep and memory for more than a century. We now know that different stages of sleep play important roles in memory consolidation, the process that helps turn new information and experiences into lasting memories.
If you’re over 60 and find yourself waking several times during the night, you’re certainly not alone. Sleep naturally changes with age. It tends to become lighter and more fragmented, with less time spent in deep sleep and more frequent awakenings.1 In fact, older adults may wake around three or four times a night.1
But while waking more often can be part of ageing, regularly having disrupted sleep and feeling exhausted the next day shouldn’t simply be dismissed as “getting older”. Healthy older adults still generally need around seven to nine hours of sleep.
