DID YOU KNOW that sleeping less than 6 hours per night can affect your weight, memory, concentration, reflexes, and stress levels?

Consequences of lack of sleep:

Exhaustion This is more than just the occasional feelings of fatigue after a long day. You constantly feel drained – physically and mentally. Even watching TV is too much effort.

Weight Gain Lack of sleep affects hormone levels in your body that control appetite. More often than not, people will gain weight as a result of increased cravings and decreased energy. People will seek sugary, high calorie food sources in hopes of “waking up” or “getting energy” but it’s only a temporary solution that usually leads to weight gain.

Increased Stress You feel you’re unable to cope with anything that comes up. Increased stress has other negative health impacts as well, including weight gain and depression.

Irritability Every little thing sets you off when you’re tired or feeling overwhelmed.

Lack of Focus You may think you can accomplish more by staying awake to work. However, you lose your ability to concentrate on any task when tired. Lack of sleep also affects your memory and reflexes. Driving while drowsy is as dangerous as driving drunk. Pulling an all-nighter to study for an exam may backfire if you can’t memorize the material or concentrate during the test from lack of sleep.

Poor Performance For those who exercise regularly, during sleep is when your muscles are repaired. Without ample recovery at night, you won’t see progress from your workouts and/or you may be setting yourself up for injury.

Sickness During sleep, your body is able to rest and recharge. Without that opportunity, your immune system weakens which may increase your susceptibility to illness.

Aim to sleep between 7-8 hours a night on a regular basis in order to perform at your best physically and mentally. Sleeping 5 hours Monday through Friday, then making up for it by sleeping for 10+ hours on weekends does not resolve the issue. You can’t catch up on sleep. It takes work to shift your sleeping habits but it’s worth the effort. Try adding 30 minutes to your current sleep schedule each week until you reach 7-8 hours a night.