How I Do It: Sleep

March 3, 2014

I know we don’t get nearly as much sleep as we should.  I’m total proof of that.  Most recently, while the Olympics aired, the hubs and I would stay up and watch it after the children would go to bed, until midnight each night.  I would wake up the next morning and work-out early, and be worn out mid-morning.  Honestly, I started noticing things other than just being sluggish, I could tell my memory wasn’t as sharp, and my face started breaking out more.
It had me thinking, what exactly are the disadvantages of not getting enough sleep?  I found this article on WebMD, here, and wanted to share it with you.  It’s definitely eye-opening, and hopefully all of you that aren’t getting enough sleep, should start.  I know I sure am!

10 Surprising Effects of Lack of Sleep
1.  Can Cause Accidents.
Drowsiness can slow reaction time as much as driving drunk.
2.  Dumbs You Down.
First, it impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning, and problem solving. This makes it more difficult to learn efficiently.
Second, during the night, various sleep cycles play a role in “consolidating” memories in the mind. If you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t be able to remember what you learned and experienced during the day.

3.  Can Lead to Serious Health Problems.
Sleep Loss Can Put You at Risk For:
Heart disease
Heart attack
Heart failure
Irregular heartbeat
High blood pressure
Stroke
Diabetes
4.  Kills Sex Drive.
Depleted energy, sleepiness, and increased tension may be largely to blame.
5.  Is Depressing.
Insomnia and depression feed on each other. Sleep loss often aggravates the symptoms of depression, and depression can make it more difficult to fall asleep.
6.  Ages Your Skin.
When you don’t get enough sleep, your body releases more of the stress hormone cortisol. In excess amounts, cortisol can break down skin collagen, the protein that keeps skin smooth and elastic.
7.  Makes Your Forgetful.
In 2009, American and French researchers determined that brain events called “sharp wave ripples” are responsible for consolidating memory. The ripples also transfer learned information from the hippocampus to the neocortex of the brain, where long-term memories are stored. Sharp wave ripples occur mostly during the deepest levels of sleep.
8.  Can Make You Gain Weight.
When it comes to body weight, it may be that if you snooze, you lose. Lack of sleep seems to be related to an increase in hunger and appetite, and possibly to obesity. 
9.  May Increase Risk of Death.
In the “Whitehall II Study,” British researchers looked at how sleep patterns affected the mortality of more than 10,000 British civil servants over two decades. The results, published in 2007, showed that those who had cut their sleep from seven to five hours or fewer a night nearly doubled their risk of death from all causes. In particular, lack of sleep doubled the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
10.  Impairs Judgment, Especially About Sleep.
“Studies show that over time, people who are getting six hours of sleep, instead of seven or eight, begin to feel that they’ve adapted to that sleep deprivation — they’ve gotten used to it,” Gehrman says. “But if you look at how they actually do on tests of mental alertness and performance, they continue to go downhill. So there’s a point in sleep deprivation when we lose touch with how impaired we are.”
While we’re talking sleep, it’s always easier to sleep when you’re wearing something comfy and cozy, right?  Here are just a few of my favorites…

1. Victoria’s Secret Tropical Pom-Pom Kimono
2. Sincerely Jules ‘Off Duty’ Sweatshirt
Just ordered this one.  Love it, because it’s NEVER true!
3. DKNY ‘The Bright & the Beautiful’ Short Pajamas in White Citiscape
4. Lauren Ralph Lauren Cotton Lawn Sleep Shirt in Delray Floral Multi
5. Splendid Space-Dyed Heather Sweatpants in Dark Slate
6. J.Crew Vintage Short-Sleeve Pajama Set (on sale too!)
7. Bedhead Pajamas – Eiffel Tower
I have a few pairs of these pajamas.  While they’re priced relatively high, the quality is amazing!
And they get softer with every wash.

And how stunning is this Painted Petal Robe by Plum Pretty Sugar for BHLDN (Anthropologie’s sister brand)?

All this talk about sleep is making me tired, especially on this cold, rainy Monday.  After staying up last night to watch the Oscars, I’m kind of dragging today.  But seriously though, how great were the Academy Awards last night?  I just loved Ellen!  I mean, the whole selfie photo?  That was the icing on the cake for me!  And clearly, with all the ‘likes’ on Instagram, y’all thought so too!

I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but did you know that Ellen’s ‘Selfie’ passed Barack Obama’s ‘Four More Years’ Tweet, as the most popular tweet of all time?

My favorite of the night was Kate Hudson in Atelier Versace, but they were honestly all stunning…

via

I hope y’all have a great start to your week!

10 thoughts on “How I Do It: Sleep”

  3. After having babies that each took 14 months to sleep through the night I am enjoying every moment of sleep until the next one arrives! My husband on the other hand stays up late and gets up way too early – he needs to read this!! I loved Lupita's dress (and it was even Carolina blue)! And Ellen was hilarious (although I missed the second half to get some sleep 😉 ).

  4. I love that robe from Pretty Plum Sugar! And that night shirt from Lauren Ralph Lauren looks like Lilly! Thanks for posting about the side effects of not getting enough sleep! It's a nice reminder to get to bed early.

    champagneandsuburbs.blogspot.com

  5. I only have three kids but I totally agree….mommy needs her sleep. It is near impossible to be a good mother without enough sleep!!!

    As for the Oscars, Kate looked simply lovely but her mother did not! Am I the only one that thought Goldie didn't look like herself at all!?!

  8. As a teacher, I have a really hard time getting into bed each night in time to get 8 hours of sleep. Last night, I got into bed by 9:30, with lights out by 10:15 two nights in a row, though, and it made ALL the difference! I felt so much better the next day and my mood was also incredibly better!

  9. The bit about sleep is very helpful. I've always told myself to get more sleep, but when a day becomes too busy, sleep always gets the back burner. I guess it's a habit that needs to be kicked as much as bad eating patterns. Why can't we just have longer days, anyway? lol

  10. It's easy to fall victim to lack of sleep with our busy lives. When push comes to shove for whatever reason, sleep often loses out. We feel it in our bodies but don't fix it. After reading this post and realizing several weeks of not enough sleep and (now) recognizing the symptoms it's time to fix it, TODAY! Since I'm already behind on sleep and we lose another hour this weekend with Daylight Savings Time, tonight will be a yummy supper, a relaxing walk followed by a relaxing drink. Then early to bed for some much needed ZZZZZZ's

    Thanks. 🙂

Comments are closed.