*This post was sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. All opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Sleep deprivation is the reason you feel groggy in the morning and find yourself reaching for that cup of coffee before you’re willing to speak to anyone who crosses your path. However, not getting enough sleep has much more of a far reaching impact than simply making the morning difficult. It affects a multitude of facets of your life and can have detrimental results. My friends at the National Sleep Foundation can help!
Sleeping is the time when your body removes adenosine from itself, detoxing it to rejuvenate and increase alertness. When the body stays awake for long periods, it isn’t given this chance and the adenosine builds up. This results in an increased feeling of drowsiness. While being drowsy can slow down your ability to get projects finished in a timely fashion, it can also place you in danger when on the road. Drowsiness has a direct effect on the time it takes for you to react, which can be detrimental while driving. In addition, when a driver is tired they have been shown to have more aggressive reactions to others, leading to increased chances of road rage. Unfortunately, fatigue is a major factor in accidents, with over 100,000 crashes in the nation attributed to it each year.
Drowsiness isn’t the only result of missing your ZZZs; it also has a substantial impact on your mental health. When you don’t have enough rest, you are five times more likely to develop some level of depression than people who get a full night of regeneration. Anxiety disorders also become prevalent in those who are ill-rested, with the chances of a disorder developing jumping to 20 times that of others. Sleep also supports the connection between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, your emotional center. The amygdala is responsible for feelings of fear, anger, stress, and other potentially explosive reactions, while the prefrontal cortex is responsible for keeping these responses in check. When the body loses the tools to balance these, the result can be in increase in volatility and heightened emotions.
Sleep has been shown to have a direct effect on your health in other areas, as well. It can reduce brain plasticity, which means you may experience a loss of brain tissue and deterioration within your brain’s gray matter. It has also been linked to cardio problems leading to physical issues such as heart disease. Your risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardio-related ailments can be greatly reduced with an increase in quality sleep. Learn more about how sleep deprivation can affect your safety and overall health, and the benefits of getting more rest.
If you suffer from insomnia (can’t fall asleep, or fall asleep but toss and turn) you are not alone. The National Sleep Foundation provides great resources for folks who are suffering from sleep health issues (such as insomnia, narcolepsy, cataplexy and more…) Find out how to start a conversation with your doctor if you’re having sleep issues. Beyondtired.org is a great resource for people who suffer from insomnia across the country to help them and inspire them to reach better sleep. Visit www.sleepfoundation.org and www.sleep.org for more information. If you’re suffering from insomnia you can also visit www.beyondtired.org
So now you can get the sleep you need and guess what, you also have a chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card! October 25 – November 23, 2016, you have the chance to win one of Five (5) $100 Amazon e-gift cards and/or one (1) Grand Prize $250 Amazon e-gift card.
Check it out at the National Sleep Foundation Giveaway website!
*I-C will randomly select winners from all program entries and will facilitate fulfillment of the winning prizes (6 winners).
