This week was off to a bad start when I decided to stay up late and watch the new season of HBO‘s shows Sunday night.
I was not able to get my full eight hours of sleep since I woke up at 5:30 am to exercise.
In the short term exercising made me feel better, but now I am suffering from lack of sleep.
Losing one night’s sleep may have set off a chain reaction that will mess up the entire week.
Being able to recoup the lost hours, will mean having to go to bed a lot earlier.
Why Sleep Is Important
Sleep is important for every aspect of your life. It affects the your mental and physical well being as well as your overall quality of life.
It is the time when your body is repairing itself and preparing for the next day. Cells and tissues like the heart and blood vessels are being restored.
People who do consistently do not get enough sleep will be at risk for heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke.
Incidences of obesity also increase the more a person becomes sleep deprived. This is because sleep helps maintain the hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin which make you feel full and hungry. The less sleep you get, the higher the level of ghrelin and the lower level of leptin. So being well-rested satisfies your hunger.
A person’s blood sugar is also affected by sleep patterns. The less rest a person gets the higher their insulin levels become which can increase their chances for diabetes.
Sleep is also important for your immune system. This is because your immune system is working to fight foreign invaders during sleep. Bad sleeping habits can weaken your immune system and stop it from fighting off infections leading to illness.
Aside from health problems, sleep deprivation can also slow your reaction time and ability to work efficiently. This will affect hinder your performance at work. It can also be dangerous if you drive a car or operate other heavy machinery during the day.
To Sum It All Up:
Losing too much sleep can be dangerous in the long run. You want to make sure to get 8 hours of good quality sleep.
One way to get good quality sleep is to not to eat too much before bed. You want to stick to a regular sized meal with foods containing a good mix of fat, protein, and unrefined carbs along with nutrients like selenium, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin D, omega 3 fatty acids, magnesium.