sleep! lets catch some Zzzz's...

Birthdays, family vacations, weddings, hosting out of town relatives; its a wonder I've made it through this summer alive! OK, that's a little dramatic but to be honest even though it has been an amazing summer, these last few months have gone by like such a whirlwind that it never occurred to me that the reason my skin is being all weird, my eyes are looking more "zombieish," and my overall peppiness has somewhat dampened is due to an overwhelming lack of sleep! And lets face it, even though sleep is one of the most important parts of our day we spend the least amount of time getting any and perhaps that could be an underlying reason for a majority of areas in our life that have gone out of whack lately. Research shows that not getting enough sleep can have a negative effect on several areas of your daily life, not the least of which, your health and safety. Sleep deprivation can lead to inattention at work or school, obesity, impaired judgement and reaction time (causing about 100,000 car accidents annually 1,500 of which are fatal). Getting a good night's sleep is extremely important because it helps your body recuperate after a long day, or helps your body heal when you are sick. It helps you be alert and make the right decisions and lets be honest, it makes you feel awesome! Sleep has so many benefits and taking advantage of our body's built-in repair system can not only improve your health but it can also add to your already gorgeous self! Proper sleep can totally transform your skin, making it brighter, healthier and reduce breakouts and redness. Bonus: people who get the appropriate amount of sleep daily tend to be more likely to lose weight with good diet and exercise, and keep it off versus people with poor sleeping habits. This nation wide insomnia is starting to catch up to us and if it doesn't stop soon, my bad skin and crummy attitude will be the least of our worries.

Here are some tips that you can try that may just get you some extra Zzzz's:

1)Waking up earlier-even though 6 or even 7 o'clock may not be as wonderful as 10 o'clock, getting up at an earlier time gives us more time to take our time.

2)See if you can budget your time better-have you ever said to your self "ok, I am only going to go online for a minute then I'll get back to my term paper..." and next thing you know its 12:01 AM and you missed the online submission deadline? Yeah, me too...

3) Get to bed earlier- staying out until 12:30, then coming home and dilly-dallying online and watching The Late Show until you're asleep on the couch isn't so much fun after you wake up with a stiff neck.

You don't even have stick to this kind of sleep schedule every day, try incorporating it into your week say three days at a time and maybe you'll notice a difference and if you do make it a 5 day a week thing, you know Monday through Friday, that way you can enjoy your weekend with out feeling like a sack f potatoes on Monday morning.

If any of you decide to try these tips let me know! I love hearing from you!