Let’s be honest, no one chooses to sleep poorly.

Life gets busy, stress piles up, and sometimes our sleep takes a back seat. Over time, it's easy to brush off disrupted nights or push through the grogginess, thinking it’s just part of modern life. But when poor sleep becomes a habit, it can quietly start to affect how our body works, right down to the way our genes behave.

The good news? Understanding why sleep matters and what it does under the surface gives you the power to make small, meaningful changes and feel better, not worse, about taking action.

In this article, we’ll explore how sleep and your body clock work together like an internal operating system. Most importantly, we’ll give you insight that can help you gently reset your rhythm and support your health without stress or overwhelm.

Click here to skip straight to 5 surprising ways sleep impacts your body, or click here to jump straight to the solutions and sleep tips.

How Sleep Works Overnight to Keep All Your Systems Running

Did you know your body is like a superhero team made up of 11 different systems? These teams work together, coordinating every organ, tissue, and cell to keep you running smoothly. But even superheroes need a break to recharge, and that’s where sleep steps in. Think of sleep as your body’s ultimate superpower, acting like a bug fix and clean-up crew all rolled into one.

While you’re catching those Z’s, your body’s repair crew is busy fixing damaged tissues, waste and toxins get flushed out, and your brain is prepping everything for a brand-new day of peak performance.

Skip on sleep, and the night crew can’t do their job properly. Repairs slow down, waste piles up, and eventually, the whole system starts to feel the strain. That’s what happens inside when poor sleep becomes a regular thing.

How Sleep Affects Your Genes

Your genes are like instruction manuals for your body. They tell your cells what to do and when to do it. But these instructions aren’t always on. Some switch on during the day, others at night.

When you don’t sleep enough, your body gets the timing wrong. Genes that should be resting stay active, and others don’t turn on when they should. This can lead to¹,²:

• Stress in brain cells, which may cause damage over time
• Poor energy use in the brain, makes it harder to think clearly
• Slower repair of brain cells, which can affect long-term health
• Inflammation, which raises your risk of heart disease and diabetes
• Trouble learning and remembering things
• A disrupted body clock, making it harder to fall asleep or wake up at the right time

All of these effects have been observed in studies examining how sleep deprivation changes gene activity in the brain and other organs.²

5 Surprising Genes Affected by Lack of Sleep

You might expect sleep to affect your brain, but it goes much further. Here are some unexpected areas where your genes take a hit:

Metabolism and Weight Control

Genes that manage how your body uses sugar and fat are controlled by your body clock. Poor sleep can lead to weight gain and insulin problems.¹,²

Hormone Balance

Hormones like insulin, cortisol, and growth hormone are all affected by sleep. Disrupted sleep can lead to mood swings, stress, and low energy.¹,²

Muscle Health

Muscles rely on clock genes to manage energy and recovery. Without sleep, your muscles may not perform or heal as well.¹,²

Immune System

Some clock genes help your body fight infections. Poor sleep can weaken your defences or cause your immune system to overreact.¹,²

Brain Function

Sleep helps your brain organise memories and clear out waste. Without it, your brain can’t reset properly, which affects focus and mental health.¹,²

In summary, all of this means that without good sleep it can¹,²:

• Make you more likely to gain weight 
• Affect your mood and mental clarity 
• Increase your risk of long-term diseases like diabetes and heart problems
• Disrupt your daily energy and focus

Natural Ways to Support Better Sleep

If you’re struggling with sleep, there are natural ways to help your body reset. Here are our top tips.

• Stick to a routine: Go to bed and wake up at the same time daily to train your body clock.
• Avoid screens before bed: Blue light from devices blocks melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep.
• Use your bed only for sleep: Skip working or watching TV in bed to reinforce healthy sleep habits.
• Limit stimulants: Avoid caffeine and nicotine after midday to help your body wind down naturally.
• Create a wind-down ritual: Try stretching, deep breathing, or herbal tea to ease into sleep mode.
• Skip the nightcap: Alcohol may help you doze off but disrupts deep, restorative sleep.
• Can’t sleep? Get up: If you're tossing and turning, do a dull, screen-free task until sleepiness returns.

Supporting Your Sleep While You Build New Habits

Changing long-held sleep habits doesn’t happen overnight,  and that’s okay. As you work on building a healthy routine, certain ingredients can gently support your transition.

Calming botanicals like lavender oil, passionflower, zizyphus, California poppy, and Jamaica dogwood (found in NeuroCalm® Sleep) have been traditionally used to help calm the nervous system, ease the mind, and promote deeper sleep.

These herbs found can enable you to fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. Together, they help boost a calming chemical in your brain called GABA.³⁻⁵

At night, your body naturally makes more GABA to help you unwind. This reduces stress, promotes calm, and gets your body ready for sleep, like slowly dimming the lights before bedtime.

To learn more about effective natural tools to support sleep, click here to explore our Sleep & Insomnia Range.

The Bottom Line: Sleep Isn’t a Luxury, It’s a Lifeline

Sleep affects so much more than just how tired you feel. From the way your genes behave to how well your brain, muscles, immune system, and hormones function, it all ties back to the quality of your rest. 

If you’ve been ignoring poor sleep or brushing it off as normal, now’s the time to listen to your body. If sleep challenges persist, reach out to a qualified health practitioner who can help you uncover the root causes and tailor a plan that works for you. Your body will thank you.

References: 

1. Cox KH, Takahashi JS. Circadian clock genes and the transcriptional architecture of the clock mechanism. J Mol Endocrinol. 2019 Nov;63(4):R93-R102. doi: 10.1530/JME-19-0153.
2. Elliott AS, Huber JD, O'Callaghan JP, Rosen CL, Miller DB. A review of sleep deprivation studies evaluating the brain transcriptome. Springerplus. 2014 Dec 11;3:728. doi: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-728.
3. Shergis JL, Ni X, Sarris J, et al. Zizyphus spinosa seeds for insomnia: a review of chemistry and psychopharmacology. Phytomedicine. 2017 July 2;34:38-43. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2017.07.004.
4. Kasper S, Anghelescu I, Dienel A. Efficacy or orally administered Silexan in patients with anxiety-related restlessness and disturbed sleep- a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2015 July 28;25:1960-67. doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.07.024.\
5. Fedurco M, Gregorova J, Sebrlova K, et al. Modulatory effects of Eschscholzia californica alkaloids on recombinant GABAA receptors. Biochem res Int. 2015 September 15; 2015:617-620. doi:10.1155/2015/617620.