Oh! I'm so sorry! I just dozed off a little there!
Alright, that was a corny intro, but in all seriousness, this week I'm writing about something that affects both me and a great number of people around me on a day-to-day basis: sleep deprivation.
We were all raised with bedtimes and learned a commonly known fact that children and adults are supposed to get eleven and eight hours of sleep per night respectively. But as I've gotten older, I have found it harder and harder to get all eight hours, and while talking to several of my friends, I know I'm not alone. On a daily basis, I am lucky to get six hours of sleep. That is two hours less than I'm supposed to. And although two hours may not seem like much, let's put some math into it. In one week, this means I have deprived myself at least 14 hours. In one month, I lost 56 hours of sleep. And finally, in one year, I have lost a total of 672 hours of sleep that surely are making a huge difference in my health.
This past week, I was so worn out, I became sick. I was unable to focus, had trouble staying awake in class, had horrible headaches, and even my stomach hurt. I had to go home and missed the following day of school, spending half my weekend to recover.
As I started to feel better after lots of sleep, I realized I didn't want this to continue to affect my life.
I do know that sleep is an extremely vital part of living a healthy life, but I'm definitely not a doctor, so I decided to do some research on what those lost hours are doing to me in the long run, in the hopes of finding some solution.
According to WebM.D.com, even a half hour to an hour of sleep can result in 32% less daytime alertness. That's a shocking fact! It also decreases your ability to think and process what has been going on throughout your day, causes stress within your relationships that may become huge problems, and gives you a higher chance of injury. And in case that was not enough, the article also says "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities."
All that from not enough sleep? Who knew?
That's not all either. Those things I mentioned above are only short-term. Long-term, it could result in high blood pressure, heart attack, heart failure, stroke, obesity, depression, ADD, mental impairment, insomnia in the elderly, and fetal and childhood growth retardation.
Now on to what I know.
Besides all the medical risks I just informed you about, sleep affects the beauty world on a large scale. What happens on the inside affects what you see on the outside. Your skin is going to take a toll especially. It will age faster, wrinkle more, create less manageable dark circles, recover slower from sunburn (which is a problem for pale people like myself), and all because of moisture loss. Healthy skin gives you a glowing, beautiful appearance, and girls, good skin makes make up application easier and more flawless. It also affects the quality of your hair and nails.
Don't even think about trying to lose weight without proper amounts of sleep. Sleep helps you lose weight! (Now I'll be sleeping ha ha). It gives your body a chance to break down the food you've eaten and restore itself, using that energy. Your body is similar to a battery, you need to charge it!
Well, I know I've learned a lot this week, and hopefully, you have too. Whether it's work, school, friends, or activities, sleep is extremely important, so take care of yourself. The other stuff can wait!
Love Always,
Bree x
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