Your Body on Lack of Sleep

YOUR BODY ON LACK OF SLEEP

If you regularly miss the 7-hour mark, morning crankiness is the least of your worries.  Her are six good reasons to put away the tablet/iphone/whatever is keeping you up and hit the sheets.

Weight Gain—Sleeping fewer than 6 hours ups obesity risk by 30%.  One study found that women who slept fewer than 5 hours ate 330 more calories the next day.

Poor Immunity—People who sleep fewer than seven hours are nearly 3 times more likely to catch a cold.

Diabetes—Skimping on deep sleep can reduce the body’s sensitivity to insulin, upping your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Brain Fog—Missing out on as few as 1 ½ hours of sleep can reduce daytime alertness by up to 32%.  (But you knew that one already)

Lousy Heart Health—Getting 6 or fewer hours of shut eye over the long term increases your risk of developing or dying of heart disease by 48%.

Blood Pressure Problems—Snoozing just 6 hours a night makes you 20% more likely to develop high blood pressure.