INTRODUCTION

Did you get a good night’s sleep?

Feeling groggy or grouchy today?

Don’t feel like you caught enough Z’s last night?

We’ve all been there. Whether it’s from burning the midnight oil to work on a project or homework, we’ve all gone nights where we don’t sleep as much as we should.

For some, these nights are rare, but for others, lack of sleep is the norm. It’s estimated that 30% of adults in the United States don’t get enough sleep at night. No wonder we’re cranky!

What’s weird is that some people think of sleep as a luxury and pride themselves on getting as little sleep as possible. (wth?!)

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead!”

Well…if that’s how you feel, then good news – you’ll probably end up dead sooner rather than later because sleep deprivation, like getting 4-5 hours of shut-eye every night, will literally kill you!

What’s Does Sleep Deprivation Actually Do to Me?

Sleep is a big deal considering we need it to rest, recharge, reduce stress, and even lose weight. Think of it as food for your brain and body, and if you don’t get enough, you’re starving yourself of essential nourishment.

When you don’t get enough sleep, it affects your judgment, mood, ability to learn, and memory. Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to a bunch of health problems including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even death in extreme cases.

Sleep deprivation can increase your risk of getting into an accident since “sleepy driving” is like driving with a blood alcohol content of.08% – over the legal limit in many states! (They should make a sleepalyzer…)

Ted Ed put together a short 4-minute video that shows you how sleep deprivation affects you. (If you’re reading this right before bed, I will warn you that some of the effects described in here are nightmarish.)

So…that video just may have scared you and given you some anxiety, but it’s important to know the toll sleep deprivation takes on your health and the quality of your life.

The good news – sleep is free and it’s available tonight!

Where Do I Go From Here?

“If you snooze, you lose.”

We’re all familiar with this. We are a society that burns the candle at both ends – where people stay up all night to study, work, or have fun.

However, it turns out the phrase is wrong. Sleep deprivation has serious consequences – both short- and long-term. It’s possible to catch up on sleep, but the longer you go without Z’s, the harder it’s going to be getting ’em back.

Look at your current routine and see how it could be leading to your lack of sleep.

Are you drinking caffeine in the afternoon or evening?

Are you working out or being active right before bed?

Are you drinking a night cap of booze before bed?

A major factor could be your computer or cellphone since we live in a technological world.

I know it’s hard to deny yourself a good Instagram session before bed, but exposure to your device’s glowing light can affect your circadian rhythms (aka your body clock) and make it harder for you to sleep and leads to sleep deprivation. Reduce or eliminate blue light for an hour or more before bedtime, and you can fall asleep faster and have better, deeper sleep.

You can do this by should get a free tool called f.lux. I mean, look at the difference in the image below. You may be skeptical, but why take the chance? (NOTE: You can also get Night Shift on your Apple products with the latest iOS.)

Sleep is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, yet so many people treat it like a luxury. These people are playing with fire as sleep deprivation leads to a whole range of problems like feeling like crap, higher risk of injury, and death. Without sleep, you can’t do what you want — physically or mentally. Place value on your sleep!

Sleep is NOT overrated. In fact, it’s underrated.

Get your sleep game on point coz if you DON’T snooze…you lose!

Thanks for reading!

Did you find this useful? Share it with a friend you think could use a few more Z’s!

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