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Signs that you may be sleep deprived

By Abigail Warren ’16 | Staff Writer

Many of us know that 8 hours of sleep is the minimum requirement that our body should get per night. Although it may not be the easiest task to follow, it should not be overlooked. Sleep affects our body on a variety of levels and when we are lacking sleep our body powers down and it is not able to funciton properly. But, the sooner you are aware that you may be lacking sleep, the sooner you are able to get your sleeping patterns back on track. Some signs that you may need more sleep are listed below:

 

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You Are More Hungry: When you’re not sleeping enough your body tends to lack energy. Due to the fact that your body is not getting energy from sleep, it tends to turn to a different source: food. Although food is not a bad source of energy, when you’re body isn’t well-rested it goes overboard with it. Having no sleep causes your body to be much more hungry, therefore wanting more food. This leads to eating more than your body truly needs. So, not only does lack of sleep cause lack of energy but also increase hunger, which can increase weight gain.

 

 

You Are More Impulsive: Being sleepy causes your mind to not think as you normally would. Thsleep2e decisions you make are not fully thought through and you tend to make decisions you wouldn’t make if you were not sleep deprived. Sometimes you will find yourself eating more unhealthy food because you aren’t truly thinking about what you are putting into your body. Other times you may lash out or snap at something you would have normally not reacted to. Not only does sleep take a toll on your body but also on your mind and actions.

 

 

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You Are More Forgetful: Do you find yourself forgetting where you placed your phone? Or walking in a room and forgetting why you entered in the first place? This is most likely due to not sleeping enough. Memories are harder to form when your are tired. Your brain can not concentrate as it usually would which causes your memory to be blurred.

 

 

 

 

You Become More Clumsy: Tripping over your feet, dropping things from your handsleep3, and falling down a couple steps may not just be a result of being “clumsy”. These clumsy acts are most likely due to sleep deprivation. Your reaction time runs in direct correlation to your sleeping patterns. When your body is not rested properly you tend to have a slower reaction time. This slower reaction time triggers these clumsy acts more easily than it would if you had more sleep.

 

 

 

 

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You’re Zoning Out: If you find yourself zoning out during one of your teacher’s lectures or daydreaming while your driving, once again, this is most likely due to lack of sleep.  This zoning out is caused by the tiredness of not only your body but, more importantly, your mind. When your mind is running low on energy it has a harder time staying focused, which causes you to doze off.

 

 

All in all, these are just signs caused possibly by sleep deprivation. However, the important part about this is not the signs of lacking sleep but the actual sleep deprivation itself. It may be an over said statement but,  in order for your body to function properly you truly due need 8 hours of sleep a night. So, the next time you want to watch one more episode of Netflix or stay up texting, realize how not having enough sleep will effect your body. If you sleep well, you will live well.

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