You have only a limited amount of time to devote to certain things each day. Between work, family activities and working around other schedules, you’re racing against the clock from the moment you wake up in the morning until you finally get to sleep at night. Did you know that the amount you sleep can affect your overall health? Getting the right amount of sleep is critical to making sure your mind and body have the opportunity to rest, maintaining your physical and mental health. Poor sleep can affect several areas of your life:

Appetite and weight

Not getting enough sleep has been directly linked to weight gain: sleeping less than five hours can affect the production of hormones that regulate your metabolism, as well as your appetite. Getting a full eight hours will regulate your hormones, allowing you to feel full without eating more calories than you need. Overeating and carbo-loading will cause you to gain weight in short periods of time. A lack of sleep can also contribute to loss of motivation to exercise and continue to affect your food choices, leaning more towards sugary foods high in fat. You can also overindulge due to a lack of control.

Immune system

Your body may be in overdrive due to a lack of sleep, which can reduce your immunity to common viruses like the cold and flu. In addition to making it easier to get sick, your immune system going down can make it more difficult to bounce back from a minor illness or infection. In addition to affecting your ability to recover from minor illnesses, your risk of forming diabetes and heart disease increases.

Judgment

Your emotional state becomes compromised when you are overtired, making it easier to become over emotional or agitated. Heightened emotions can lead to your fighting more with those closest to you, including your friends, family and coworkers. When you are too tired, you may also choose to get behind the wheel of a car or other machinery which can lead to accidents. Over 70,000 accidents occur due to drivers falling asleep at the wheel, colliding with objects and other vehicles. Making sure you get enough sleep is critical to the safety of yourself and others prior to driving, especially at night when visibility is lower.

Are you having trouble sleeping? Visit AFC Urgent Care for an examination to determine potential causes to your lack of sleep and additional health woes and ways to develop healthier sleeping habits.