Sleep is critical for everything from being successful at work to looking your best on the weekend, but are you getting enough? When we don’t get enough quality shut-eye most of us yawn, feel fatigued, and are a little crabbier than usual. But beware, as not all symptoms of sleep deprivation are so obvious. Here are some other common signs that you may need to revamp your sleep schedule.
You can’t make simple decisions. When you’re tired your brain is less able to tell the difference between important information and the stuff that doesn’t matter. Planning a lunch meeting (where to eat? who to invite?) suddenly becomes a source of stress.
You just can’t stop eating. Sleep deprivation disrupts blood sugar levels and triggers the production of extra ghrelin, a hormone that induces hunger. Plus tired people tend to prefer comfort foods over healthier choices, which doesn’t help.
You’ve almost always got a cold. Sleep boosts your immune system, and so not getting enough can cause the opposite effect and leave you feeling run down and susceptible to every little bug that comes your way.
You’re really emotional. If you find yourself tearing up over commercials or flying off the handle for no good reason it could mean your brain isn’t able to temper your emotions the way it normally would because you’re too tired.
You’ve become a klutz. Studies have shown that sleepy people have less precise motor skills and slower reflexes, all of which add up to spilled coffee and tripping on the curb (or in my case it’s usually tripping over nothing but flat carpet).
(Photo courtesy of tizwas01 on stock.xchng)
