4. Not Getting Enough Sleep
If you haven’t stopped regularly burning the midnight oil, it’s really time to reconsider your sleep habits. Chronic lack of sleep is considered getting less than the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep every night (6).
Over time, lack of sleep can lead to weight gain, impaired cognitive function, increase the likelihood of personal injury, and much more. It also increases your risk of degenerative neurological diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (7).
5. Staying in a Mental Funk
There’s a difference between being in a bit of a funk and having depression. By definition, feeling depressed, exhausted, uninterested in normal activities, sad, anxious, and/or irritable for more than two weeks are all classic symptoms of depression (8).
Given the continual hormonal changes and life changes that women typically experience in their 40s, this is actually the age at which you are most likely to be diagnosed with clinical depression (8).
Unfortunately, only around one-third of people suffering from depression will seek help (9). Know that you are not alone, and there are steps you can take to help you feel better – both holistic and conventional.