It’s been such a long week and I’m really tired. I’ve been walking around in a fog, forgetting things, and feeling like the easy tasks are taking longer than necessary. Lack of sleep can cause some really serious symptoms to your body that can result in serious side effects. Everything from headaches to moodiness and even weight gain. Depriving your body of good sleep too often can cause long term health problems. Sleep allows your body to repair itself so that all parts are working properly, or at least top performance. When you don’t get enough sleep, your overall quality of life and well-being goes down.

I finally forced myself to listen to my body last night and I turned my lights out right at 9:40 p.m. I wok up the next morning at exactly 6:40 a.m. A solid 9 hours of sleep. It felt so good to wake up before my alarm and refreshed. I felt that today was much more productive than the last few days even though I spent less time at my desk and working on tasks. I was rested and my brain was working smarter, not harder.

When I’m really tired, I tend to do some silly things.  Raise your hand if you can relate to any of the below!

Ten Signs You Know You’re Sleep Deprived

1. You wake up in the morning dead tired and mad at yourself  because you stayed up so.late.again. You immediately regret the night before. Too bad it wasn’t spent doing something fun.
2. You find yourself constantly hungry even after eating a normal meal. Lack of sleep causes your body to crave more food, especially the sweet kind.
3. Your behavior seems sporadic. You find yourself  working on five or six tasks at one time and have no idea which ones, if any, you’ll actually get done.
4. You find yourself making impulsive or irrational decisions. You’re especially moody.
5. You find yourself misspelling or confusing simple common words like their, there, they’re. Two weeks later and after a decent night’s rest, your mistake is glaring you in the face at first glance.
6. You find yourself bumping into walls, desks, and couches that have not moved in a lifetime. Lack of sleep affects your balance and your senses causing you to be more clumsy.
7. You are unmotivated to get things done. You rather spend way too much time on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook rather than finishing the pile of stuff on your desk.
8. You make irrational choices. For example, you think spending 20 minutes playing Words With Friends is a good idea to help “keep your mind sharp” but a 20 minute nap sounds crazy.
9. You can’t remember the easiest things like where you parked your car, left the keys, placed your cell phone. Or who you were going to call in just a few minutes.
10. You let your hygiene slip. Maybe your hair isn’t that dirty so need to bother washing it.

Getting enough sleep is definitely important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. If you couldn’t get a good night’s rest, try taking a short nap during the day. Sleep experts suggest even 10 to 20 minutes will help you get recharged. If you can, aim for a full 90 minute sleep cycle mid-day, but not longer.