Why You Need To Go The Eff To Sleep

This guest post comes to us via the awesome and lovely Liz of Being Geeky Chic fame. She writes about technology, comics, style, design, apps and a million other things on the regular. Pop over and say hi!

I bought a new mattress and pillow this week. The reason? I’m investing in my resting.

There was a time not too long ago where sleeping for 5 or 6 hours a night didn’t seem like that big of a deal. As long as I was getting SOME sleep, it seemed like I was doing the right thing. Nevermind the fact that I’d sleep until noon on the weekends to try and “catch up” on lost ZZZs.

I now realize that this is what’s causing my irritability, my inability to remember any detail and my general lack of excitement for the day.

May I propose a solution?

You really, really need to invest in your rest.

I know that I’m the number one offender here. But I feel we all need a bit of a jolt. I am certain that I have friends who are just as guilty of skipping the sheets. I’m confident I have co-workers running around exhausted. So while this diatribe is partially me convincing myself that this needs to be a priority, I also know that we all need a friendly reminder. That’s why I’m ready to give you a list of pros and cons.

Let’s start with the cons.
There are NO cons important enough to skip your 7-8 hours of sleep per night.

See, we’re off to a great start!

I promise. No blog posts. No video games. No book chapters. All those things will be there tomorrow. I promise.

That was easy. Now, the pros.
1. It’s good for your memory.
2. It’s good for your weight.
3. It’s good for your overall health.
4. It’s replenishing emotionally.
5. It’s replenishing physically.
6. When you enter a deep sleep state, your brain releases repairing hormones that improve your very existence. Your skin, your eyes, your fingernails. All these things need time to repair from the damage we inflict upon them during the day.
7. You know how you REALLY want to watch a movie TONIGHT at 11PM, because you won’t have time tomorrow? Well, the hours you’re saving tonight are being shaved off your life. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true. People who sleep for the recommended 7-8 hours per night live longer.
8. Your attention span is reportedly at least 30% better when you are rested.

And on top of all that, you’ll probably be a hell of a lot happier too.

I want to be happier. I want to wake up in the morning and not feel IMMEDIATELY overwhelmed about getting up. I don’t want my first thought in the morning to be: I’m tired.

So friends, let’s go to bed.

How many hours of shut eye do you get?  Any getting-to-sleep tricks to share?
photo for sale here.