You may be aware that sleep is good for you. It helps us refresh our minds, relaxes the body, and calms us down. You may not know if your body is functioning properly when you don’t get enough sleep. If you do not get enough sleep, your body and mind won’t perform to the standards that you may expect. Here is what to expect when you don’t sleep.

Caught Daydreaming

When you sleep, it allows the frontal lobe to relax. The frontal lobe is the part of your brain used for making choices and controlling emotions. So when you don’t sleep or don’t get enough sleep, your mind is foggy, causing a lapse in judgment. This is catastrophic around food because your brain’s reward center speeds up. Whereas you may typically not grab the bag of chips, that bag will disappear in one sitting when you are tired. Your brain will want to eat more and more food the more you deprive it of sleep. This leads to unnecessary late-night meals that won’t do you or your diet any favors.

Sleep or slow down, no in-between.

Think of your body and how it operates. It functions much in the way of a car. When driving, if you keep your foot on the gas, you will use up all the fuel in no time. If you are cautious with how you use your gas, though, you will conserve more gas. Your brain and its relationship to sleeping are no different. Sleep is the fuel for the brain. Without sleep, you won’t function the same, and those late snacks will do much more harm than just adding calories. Cortisol spikes occur due to too little sleep, leading to your body saving energy for later. This leads to you storing too much fat.

Here are some ways to ensure sleep

• Stay away from blue light screens or cell phones before bedtime. This will help when getting yourself in bed.

• Stick to a regular sleep schedule that you will commit to keeping. This includes sticking with it on the weekends.

• Ignore late-night snacking urges by drinking water.

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