Most people need eight full hours of sleep in order to feel rested in the morning when their alarms go off. However, in some cases, you may need a little more or less.
The best way to gauge if you’re getting enough sleep is by observing how you feel every day. If you feel groggy and unable to focus, then chances you aren’t getting enough z’s.
When you are significantly low on sleep, the consequences will be much more serious than just a bad mood, however. Sleep deprivation can have serious effects on our overall health. Here’s how your health could be negatively affected by lack of sleep.
Inability To Operate a Vehicle
Getting behind a vehicle on very little sleep could be profoundly dangerous for you and other drivers on the road. Not only is your reaction time much slower, but you could even hallucinate.
If you’re very low on sleep and have to get from point A to point B, do yourself a favor and arrange someone else to drive you. Pay for a cab if you have to. You wouldn’t want a sleepy driver to crash into your car, so why would you put someone else at risk?
More Emotionally Sensitive
Lack of sleep can result in being much more emotionally reactive. Something that doesn’t bother you usually can lead to an outburst if you haven’t slept much.
If you frequently lack enough sleep it may affect your personal relationships and even your intimacy. In order to be emotionally healthy, you need plenty of sleep.
It only takes a few hours lack of sleep to lack patience which results in an unnecessary argument. This could be a recipe for disaster in your place of employment.
Anxiety
Sleep deprivation triggers fear. If you haven’t slept enough, you may be more likely to think about the worst possible outcome in every scenario.
People who sleep less are known to worry more about the future and have a negative outlook. As a general rule of thumb, the more that you sleep, the less anxiety you’ll feel.
If you’re someone who is naturally prone towards anxiety, then sleep is especially important for your well-being.
Weakened Immune System
Have you noticed that you seem to catch every illness that goes around? Are you always the first to catch the latest cold? It may be a lack of sleep. Lacking sleep for a prolonged period can seriously hurt your ability to ward off illnesses.
A fully rested body has the energy that it needs to build up a strong immune system. Paired with a balanced diet, a good night’s rest can help you steer clear of any bug that comes your way.
*This article was contributed.
