Make Sleep a Priority

Anyone who has trudged through a never-ending workday after a sleepless night or two knows something about the importance of catching enough Z’s.

Your brain knows, too. A new study on rats shows that the brain responds similarly to a few days of restricted sleep as it does to acute total sleep deprivation.

Studies have shown that even relatively mild sleep restriction, such as the kind that occurs when you spend a few too many nights staying up late and getting up early, can hinder your ability to perform cognitive tasks.

The negative effects of too-little sleep are more extensive than feeling like a yawning zombie all day.

Forget productivity; when it’s a struggle just to focus on your computer screen, you might as well have stayed home.

And sacrificing sleep compromises your well-being, too. A few of the risks, according to WebMD, are decreased performance and alertness, relationship stress, and increased risk for accidental injury.

The potential effects of long-term sleep deprivation are even more severe, including heart disease, obesity, stroke, and depression.

With this in mind, set a bedtime and stick with it; from great job performance to better health, you’re sure to reap the rewards of more sleep.

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