The Health Risks of Sleep Deprivation (and Natural Ways to Sleep Better)

The average adult in North America sleeps only 6 hours per night. While this may seem adequate, historical data show that just a few decades ago, adults averaged nearly 8 hours of sleep each night. Most experts agree that adults need 7–8 hours of sleep for optimal physical, mental, and emotional health. So, does losing an hour or two really make that big of a difference? The answer is a resounding yes. In this post, we’ll explore why sleep matters more than you think, the serious health risks linked to sleep deprivation, and natural ways to improve your sleep quality.

What Is Sleep Deprivation?

Sleep deprivation (aka sleep insufficiency) occurs when an individual does not get enough sleep (either in quantity or quality) for their mental and physiological needs. Sufficient sleep will not be exactly the same for all individuals, but typically falls within the range of 7 – 9 hours for adults, 8 – 10 hours for teenagers, and 9 – 12 hours for school-aged children, with even more required for younger children and infants.

Sleep insufficiency can be short-term, consisting of just a few nights, or long-term, which may be a few weeks or more.

The Hidden Dangers of Sleep Deprivation

Sleeping 5 or 6 hours a night on a regular basis can have a number of adverse outcomes, including physical health risks, mental and emotional impacts, and safety risks:

Physical Health Risks

Chronic or long-term sleep deprivation can lead to several health issues, including heart problems, weight gain, type 2 diabetes, inflammation, and a weakened immune system.

Weakened Immunity

Studies have found that individuals who get fewer than 6 hours of sleep a night tend to catch more colds and infections than those who sleep more than 6 hours a night. Science can explain this phenomenon, as it’s been observed that even short-term sleep deprivation results in reduced natural killer cell activity, which is responsible for destroying cancer and virus-infected cells. Furthermore, B lymphocytes, needed to make antibodies and recognize and remember pathogens, are found to no longer be in circulation in individuals who are sleep deprived.¹

Inflammatory molecules, such as cytokines, increase, making us feel achy, tired, and more prone to infections. Continual sleep deprivation triggers chronic mild inflammation, heightening the risk for heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, sleep expert Dr. Matthew Walker states that deep sleep is one of the best blood pressure treatments.²

Mental & Emotional Effects

You’ve likely felt the brain fog that settles in after a restless night: the struggle to think clearly, recall simple information, or even string words together smoothly. And of course, we’ve all seen how quickly a child becomes irritable and unfocused without enough sleep. One poor night can leave us mentally sluggish and emotionally fragile, but what happens when this becomes the norm? Imagine the toll of several nights, weeks, or even months of sleep deprivation. The consequences reach far deeper than lethargy; they can disrupt memory, impair health, and seep through every aspect of mood, well-being, and daily life.

How sleep affects memory

Sleep plays a critical role in how our brains store, organize, and recall information. In a study of 20 students, one group averaged 6 hours of sleep per night while another got a full 8 hours. Despite studying the same material, the well-rested students remembered twice as much as their sleep-deprived peers.³ The takeaway is clear: sleep isn’t wasted time—it’s an essential part of learning and retaining information.

Sleep expert Dr. Matthew Walker points out that there’s a widespread misconception that prioritizing sleep is a sign of laziness. Children, in particular, are sometimes labelled as “lazy” by parents if they seek adequate rest. This stigma is harmful, not just in childhood, but across the lifespan, as undervaluing sleep can interfere with emotional and cognitive development and may even contribute to an increased risk of dementia later in life.⁴

The Sleep–Mood Connection

Sufficient sleep is also essential for mood regulation because a lack of rest impairs the prefrontal cortex’s ability to manage emotional centers such as the amygdala. When this control is weakened, we become more emotionally reactive to negative stimuli. For instance, sleep-deprived adults may find themselves snapping at a co-worker over a minor mistake or feeling disproportionately frustrated by everyday setbacks—small triggers that would normally feel manageable.

Furthermore, chronic sleep insufficiency can significantly increase the risk of anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. According to Dr. Matthew Walker, insufficient or fragmented sleep is one of the strongest predictors of suicide ideation, attempts, and completions. The good news is that sleep also serves as a form of emotional first aid: it resets the brain’s emotional networks, helping to restore balance and resilience.⁵

Everyday Safety Concerns

You might be willing to risk running a sleep deficit if you believe you’re only harming yourself, but the truth is, sleep impairment is one of the leading causes of accidents, injuries, and deaths, and it’s often underreported. This includes motor vehicle accidents, where the consequences can be devastating. Lack of sleep decreases alertness, slows reaction time, and reduces decision-making abilities. One study found that drivers were over four times more likely to be in a crash if they had slept only 4–5 hours in the past 24 hours compared to those who slept 7 or more hours. That risk skyrocketed to nearly 12 times more likely if the driver had slept fewer than 4 hours.⁶

How Sleep Deprivation Impacts Your Body Over Time

Sleep deprivation doesn’t just leave you feeling tired; it has far-reaching effects on the body and brain. Beyond weakening immunity and fueling inflammation, chronic lack of sleep is increasingly linked to cognitive decline and even dementia. To understand why, it helps to first look at how healthy sleep actually works.

A full night’s rest isn’t just one long, uniform stage. It’s made up of repeating 90-minute cycles that move through four distinct stages. The first three stages are non-REM (non–rapid eye movement) sleep, which range from light dozing to deep, restorative rest. The fourth stage is REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, when dreaming occurs and the brain processes memories and emotions. Together, these stages form the foundation of cognitive health, physical recovery, and overall well-being.

NREM

As mentioned, the first 3 stages are known as non-REM sleep. It’s during these stages that short-term memories from the hippocampus are consolidated and transferred to long-term storage in the cortex. While the first stage of NREM is light, during which we can be awoken easily, stages 2 and 3 are deeper and allow our bodies to recuperate and grow. It’s also when our body can direct more energy to the immune system to battle infections. This is also when the glymphatic system clears metabolic waste, such as beta-amyloid and tau.

REM

REM sleep is the part of the cycle when the most vivid dreaming occurs. If you’ve ever watched someone in this stage of sleep, you may have noticed their eyelids twitching during something known as rapid eye movement. This segment of sleep is particularly important for emotional memory, learning, and creative processing. While non-REM sleep is more restorative for the body, repairing tissues and supporting immune function, REM sleep is especially important for the mind, helping us process emotions and weave experiences together.

What Really Happens When You Don’t Get a Full Night’s Sleep?

When we cut sleep short, we miss out on vital processes that take place during specific stages of the night. Not only does the amount of sleep matter, but the timing of that sleep is just as important. One of my favourite health authors even suggests that “every hour of sleep before midnight is worth two after midnight.”⁷

Science backs this up. Research shows that critical hormones are released between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m.—a window when your body does some of its most important repair and regulation work:
    •    Serotonin – Functions as both a neurotransmitter and a hormone. It helps boost mood, meaning we wake up feeling brighter and more positive when we sleep during these hours.
    •    Melatonin – The body’s natural sleep signal. Darkness triggers its release, helping us drift into restful sleep, while light suppresses it.
    •    Arginine Vasotocin – Plays a role in helping us fall into deep, restorative sleep and even has a natural pain-suppressing effect.
    •    Epithalamin – Slows aging and enhances learning and memory.

In short, prioritizing early, consistent sleep doesn’t just help you feel rested; it allows your body to access powerful, hormone-driven benefits that you miss if you stay up late.

Why Early Sleep Matters

If you look at the sleep cycle chart, you’ll notice that the deepest stages of NREM sleep occur most heavily before midnight. These stages—particularly stages 2 and 3—are when the brain performs its critical “cleanup” work, removing harmful proteins like beta-amyloid and tau.

These proteins are strongly linked to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. In these conditions, beta-amyloid can form sticky plaques that disrupt brain function, including in the frontal lobe—the center of thinking, judgment, and reasoning. Thankfully, during deep NREM sleep, the brain’s glymphatic system becomes highly active, helping to flush out these waste products before they can accumulate.

When we don’t get a full eight hours of sleep—or when we push bedtime too late—we cut short the time our brains spend in these vital stages. This means the nightly cleanup remains incomplete, allowing more beta-amyloid to accumulate over time. As Dr. Matthew Walker explains, studies have found that people who consistently sleep seven hours or less show significantly higher levels of beta-amyloid in the brain compared to those who regularly get more than seven hours.⁸

Common Causes of Poor Sleep

Even with the best intentions, many factors can interfere with getting the quality sleep your body needs. Here are some of the most common culprits:

1. Lifestyle Habits

Late-night screen time, scrolling on your phone, or binge-watching TV can push bedtime later and expose you to blue light that disrupts melatonin (your sleep hormone). Caffeine, alcohol, or eating heavy meals too close to bedtime can also interfere with falling and staying asleep.

2. Irregular Schedules

Shift work, frequent travel, or simply going to bed and waking up at different times each day confuses your body’s internal clock, making it harder to get deep, restorative rest.

3. Environmental Disruptions

Noise, light, or an uncomfortable bedroom temperature can easily fragment sleep. The wrong mattress or pillow may also prevent you from reaching the deeper stages of rest.

4. Health Issues

Conditions like sleep apnea, insomnia, restless legs syndrome, or chronic pain can significantly reduce sleep quality. Hormonal changes (such as during menopause) and medical conditions affecting breathing or circulation can also play a role.

5. Stress and Mental Health

High stress, anxiety, or depression often keeps the mind racing at night, making it difficult to fall asleep or causing frequent awakenings.

6. Family and Work Responsibilities

Caring for young children, elderly relatives, or working long and unpredictable hours often cuts into sleep time. Over time, this sleep debt builds up, affecting mood, memory, and overall health.

Natural Ways to Improve Sleep

Prescription sleep medications can be effective, but they come with potential side effects like dependence, daytime drowsiness, and headaches. Fortunately, there are natural ways to improve sleep that have few to no side effects:

1. Stick to a Consistent Sleep Schedule

Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. A regular routine helps regulate your body’s internal clock.

2. Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine

Winding down with calming activities like reading, stretching, journaling, or taking a warm bath signals to your body that it’s time to rest.

3. Limit Screen Time Before Bed

Blue light from phones, TVs, and computers can interfere with melatonin production. Aim to unplug at least an hour before sleep.

4. Optimize Your Sleep Environment

Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. Investing in a supportive mattress, blackout curtains, or a white noise machine can make a big difference.

5. Be Mindful of Food and Drink

Avoid caffeine and alcohol, which can disrupt deep sleep. Eating heavy meals late at night, especially past 8 pm, forces the body to stay busy with digestion instead of shifting into rest and repair mode. If you do get hungry before bed, have a banana. Not only is it easy to digest, but it also contains tryptophan, which the body converts into melatonin, the hormone that signals it’s time to sleep.

6. Get Daytime Light Exposure

Natural sunlight during the day strengthens your circadian rhythm, helping you feel more alert in the morning and sleepier at night.

7. Stay Active

Regular physical activity promotes deeper, more restful sleep. Just avoid intense exercise too close to bedtime, as it may be stimulating.

8. Herbal Remedies

There are plenty of herbs and supplements that can be taken before bed to help promote relaxation. Here are just a few:

Chamomile

This well-known herb is a go-to choice for many people when they seek to unwind. Its active compound is apigenin, an antioxidant that binds to the receptors in the brain associated with anxiety reduction and sleepiness.

How to use:

• Bath – add half a cup of dried flowers to a muslin bag and steep in your nightly bath.
• Tea – steep 1 – 3 teaspoons of dried chamomile in a cup of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drink warm.

Catnip

If you’ve never tried catnip as a sleep aid, you might be surprised at how effective it can be. Traditionally known for its effects on cats, this gentle herb is also highly beneficial for humans. Catnip is rich in nepetalactone, a natural compound with mild sedative properties that help ease tension, relax muscles, and calm the nervous system. Many people find it especially useful for reducing stress and anxiety, creating a sense of well-being, and preparing the body for restful sleep. (Learn more about catnip’s wellness benefits here!)

How to use:

• Bath – add half a cup of dried catnip to a muslin bag and add to a warm bath.
• Tea – steep 1 -2 tablespoons of dried catnip in a mug of boiling water. Add a lemon slice and sweeten with honey if desired.

Lavender

Lavender is not only beautiful, but it’s also full of wellness properties. Lavender oil is often used in aromatherapy to promote relaxation and reduce stress and anxiety. The compounds linalool and linalyl acetate work in conjunction to relax the body and reduce inflammation, making it easier to both fall and stay asleep.

How to use:

• Bath – mix several drops of lavender essential oil into your bedtime bath.
• Diffuser – add 5 drops to a diffuser near your bed.
• Tea – make a soothing lavender tea latte–my personal favourite! Find the recipe here.
  

Magnesium

Magnesium is often called the “relaxation mineral” because of its role in calming the nervous system, easing muscle tension, and reducing stress. One of its key activities is supporting the neurotransmitter, GABA, to bind more effectively to receptors in the brain. This activates calming signals, quieting nerves and allowing the mind and body to shift into a restful state.

How to use:

• Supplement – take 200 mg of magnesium citrate 30-60 minutes before bed. Increase gradually if needed.
• For children – have a banana 2 hours before bed. Bananas are a good source of magnesium!
• Bath – add 1-2 cups of Epsom salt (magnesium sulphate) to a warm bath before bed.

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is a herb known for its ability to enhance mood, promote calm, and reduce anxiety. It’s a gentle sedative, especially when combined with chamomile or valerian, helping the body to relax and drift off to sleep. It contains bioactive compounds such as rosmarinic acid, which increases GABA activity; eugenol, which is a mild sedative; and citral and geraniol, which decrease excitability.

How to use:

• Tea – steep 2 teaspoons of dried lemon balm in a mug of boiling water. Drink 30-60 minutes before bed.
• Diffuser – add several drops of lemon balm essential oil to a diffuser by your bed.

Read more on lemon balm’s restorative properties here!

Valerian

Valerian is a plant whose roots have traditionally been used to support sleep. This herb prevents the breakdown of GABA in the brain, meaning there’s more to bind with receptors that send signals to slow down the nervous system. Valerian also appears to bind with GABA receptors itself, making the calming signals even stronger.

How to use:

• Tea – steep for 10 minutes in boiling water. Add lemon to enhance the taste. Drink 30 minutes before bed.
• Capsules or tablets – these can be purchased over the counter at some pharmacies, from health food stores, and from online distributors such as Amazon.

Rest Is the Best Medicine

At the end of the day, sleep isn’t just a necessary disruption to the more important things in life—it’s the foundation that makes everything else possible. One of my favourite authors said it best:

It is not possible to preserve health unless the hours of sleep are regular and abundant.”⁹

When we shortchange ourselves on rest, the consequences may not appear immediately, but they will eventually surface. The good news? Small, mindful changes–like winding down with a soothing cup of tea, setting a consistent bedtime, or unplugging from screens earlier–can make a profound difference. Sleep is a gift from God, a time for our bodies and minds to rest, repair, and renew. By honouring this need, we care for the health He has entrusted to us. And as we do, we can embrace each new day with faith and purpose, trusting in the promise: “He gives His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2), walking into tomorrow refreshed, joyful, and ready to serve.

I’d love to hear from you! What helps you get your best night’s sleep—or what challenges do you face when it comes to rest? Share your experiences in the comments below!

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