How a lack of sleep can affect your body and your health is something I don’t need research to tell me. I have always been acutely aware of this and make sure I get enough sleep to stay as healthy as possible.
The article, What Happens to Your Body When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep , written by the Brain and Spine Team of the Cleveland Clinic, points out the following things that can happen if you don’t get enough sleep, including, but not limited to, lack of alertness, impaired memory, relationship stress, impacted quality of life, and an increased likelihood of car accidents. Even missing as much as 1.5 hours of sleep can have an impact. Chronic or continued lack of sleep can also lead to serious health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, heart failure or stroke. Obesity, depression and a lower sex drive are also potential problems.
I like that the article publishes the National Sleep Foundation’s recent recommendations for how much sleep you should get each night for optimal health. As an adult in the 26 – 64 age group, 7 – 9 hours are recommended for me. Since I am someone who has monitored this my entire adult life, I know that need the upper end of that range to feel my best. I also realize I need to get my kids in bed earlier!
To read how much sleep is recommended at every age, click on the link to the article above.