Sleep

Well I was doing so good.  I made it to the 14th blogging everyday and then yesterday laid down for a few minutes and conked out before I got a chance to post.  So here you go, 6 reasons why it is important to sleep!  Thank you Harvard. I'm actually a horrible sleeper.  Well I'm a great sleeper, I just don't sleep a whole lot.  I trained myself as a kid to read late into the night so I'm a major night owl.  Luckily I also trained myself to wake early since my mom did not tolerate sleeping in, who knows what happened with my baby brothers.  As the oldest child I look back at my younger siblings and often wonder who are these people raising them because they certainly aren't the same people who raised me, but that is a blog for a different day.  So I stay up pretty late but the positive is I always get up on time.  The negative is I'm probably ten times grouchier them I need to be.  Also it can't be helping with my chubby belly.  So last night I closed my eyes at ten o'clock, and this morning at 5:30 my eyes shot open before the alarm even went off.  Who knows, maybe I'll actually be in a good mood today :)

So Six Reason's To Get Enough Sleep
1-Helps with learning and memory.
2-Good for weight loss.  Chronic sleep deprivation causes weight gain.
3-It adds to safety.
4-Improved mood.
5-Better cardiovascular health.
6-Improves immune function.

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

1. Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
2. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
3. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
4. Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
5. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.