In our fast-paced world, sleep in one of the first things we sacrifice to keep up. Sacrificing sleep every once in a while is necessary when you are trying to build an empire and get everything on your “to-do” list done, but continuously depriving yourself of sleep in the name of progress is actually counterproductive. You are not functioning at optimal levels when you are not fully rested.

Here are few gentle reminders as to the necessity and benefits of hitting the sack regularly. Adults are said to need between 6-8 hours of sleep each night. I personally think I need nine. lol.

Your brain will thank you.  According to resources at the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School and WGBH Educational Foundation, it has been suggested that the quantity and quality of sleep have a profound impact on learning and memory. Research suggests that sleep helps learning and memory in two distinct ways. First, a sleep-deprived person cannot focus attention optimally and therefore cannot learn efficiently. Second, sleep itself has a role in the consolidation of memory, which is essential for learning new information.

 You look better and give your body time to repair. The concept of “beauty sleep” is real.  Not having enough sleep causes blood vessels to dilate, causing the look of dark circles. When we get sufficient amounts of sleep, our skin renews itself. New skin cells grow and replace older cells. Consider sleep a spa treatment of repairing, restoring ,and rebalancing. Moreover, while you sleep, all sorts of hormonal and metabolic changes happen in and the body, including your skin; a lack of sleep can disrupt those processes.

You are more of a pleasure to be around. I don’t know about you, but when I don’t get enough sleep, I am irritable, snippy, and unable to focused. Needless to say, I am not getting the best wife, friend, or employee award when I have been running on an empty sleep tank.  New York City dermatologist Doris Day and author of Forget The Facelit says that a lack of sleep can also make you more stressed, and everyone can see that tension. Not only do you act unpleasant, she says that a lack of sleep makes you look unpleasant:  “It makes you look angry, tired, sad, and certainly older.”

Frugal Feministas: Are you getting enough sleep? What does a lack of sleep do to you?

[info_box type=”alert_box”]If you want to practice self-care, you have to care for your finances.  My book, The Happy Finances Challenge, is designed to help you learn to make money decisions that will lead to long-term financial happiness in just 42 days. [/info_box]