\u201cI\u2019m so tired.\u201d How many times each day do you catch yourself mumbling those words? If you\u2019re like 48%\u00a0of American adults, your tiredness is caused by a seemingly simple problem \u2013 not getting enough sleep at night.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s \u201cjust\u201d a little lack of sleep! No big deal, right? Actually, missing those ZZZs may be having more of an effect<\/a>\u00a0on you than you think. It\u2019s obvious that sleepiness disturbs your cognition, reaction times, and judgment, causing you to be less sharp in work and conversation, making you forgetful, and putting you at risk for minor and major accidents.<\/p>\n But did you realize that missing the mark on sleep accumulation is affecting your health? Those who don\u2019t get enough sleep are at a higher risk for heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Sleeping fewer than six hours per night is associated with depression and can also cause the skin to age more readily. Due to the way missing sleep can affect your body\u2019s hormone profiles, decreased sex drives and increases in weight gain are side effects as well.<\/p>\n How much sleep do we actually need, then? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night. I know, I know, that seems impossible. But here are a few tips<\/a>\u00a0 for making sleep possible and a priority.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve been used to sleeping 6 hours or fewer per night \u201cforever\u201d but you know it\u2019s time for a change, try to slowly add extra sleep back into your life. Start by adding a half or a full hour each week to your nightly sleep time so your body can acclimate. Over time, you may be able to sleep the recommended amount normally and mumble less throughout the day about how tired you are.\n