Sweet Dreams

Sleep is a necessity. We need it in order to properly function. Sleeping allows our brains to recharge and our bodies to rest. On average, humans need eight hours of sleep each night. A lack of sleep might result in impairment of mood, memory, and judgment. From not getting enough sleep every night of the week, I have definitely noticed some of these changes. When I am sleep deprived, the smallest things can set me off. I could randomly start crying because I have too much homework and not enough time or get pissed at my brother for him merely walking through the room. When I get enough sleep, I feel more relaxed and the daily challenges I face don't upset me nearly as much.

If you don't enough sleep, your body will release access stress hormones. The brain's chemicals that control deep sleep and production of stress are the same. So if you don't get fully rested one night, you will feel more stressed the next day. These hormones continue to be produced produced during the day making it harder to fall asleep at night causing the same sleep deprivation cycle. This vicious cycle seems to be a regular routine for most teenagers and young adults these days. They think they can continue running on 4-5 hours of sleep a night, but in the end, this could cause all sorts of unneeded stress.

In fact, getting more sleep can help you lose weight! Getting enough sleep increases levels of leptin, a chemical that makes you feel full, and decreases levels of ghrelin, a chemical that stimulates hunger. Also, the more time you spend sleeping, the less time you are awake and eating. This could especially help with girls' stress levels. I know that I have been stressed about my weight and appearance before. If you are trying to slim down, look good in your prom dress, or get that beach body ready for summer, try getting an extra hour of sleep each night. This could overall help you lose a couple pounds and feel less stressed about your appearance. For prom, rather than forcing myself to starve to make sure I look good for prom, I could get more sleep to naturally slim down!

A lot of people claim that they can't fall asleep at night or that they aren't tired when they want to go to bed. If you start relaxing your body and your mind several hours before you go to bed, this will help you feel more tired. Reading a book or taking a warm bath will give your brain time to calm down. When it is not working as hard, you will feel more ready to sleep. Not eating several hours before you go to bed will help with this as well. Food gives you energy, but if you are not getting as much of that energy, you will feel more tired.

To sum everything up, getting more sleep is the key factor to reducing stress. It doesn't matter what is causing your stress. Getting enough rest each night will help almost every single time.

Challenge of the week: try getting to bed an hour earlier at least three days in a row this week and see if there is any changes in your mood and function throughout the day.