Sleep is your best friend, I promise.
I’m a night owl. But, I also am one of those people who cannot miss a beat during the day. Everyone has their reasons; mine is #MyGrind. I love working because I love what I do. In fact, I am busier than I could have ever imagined I would be at 25 years old. On average, six of my seven days of the week consist of a maximum 4 hours of sleep per night – IF I’m lucky. How do I function? I know, right?
When I was 18, I changed my entire college schedule to accommodate my daily commute to Manhattan and work a full-time job. I set it up so I could take only night classes or cram a few 3-hour lectures all into one day. I was a full-time Editor, full-time student, and part-time bartender. Let’s not even discuss my extra-circular commitments because you will get tired just trying to figure out how I managed to incorporate them into this mix. I literally would go days without sleep, and it didn’t bother me one bit. I thought I could do it all.
The point is, I wanted to “adult” so bad, at any cost, even if it meant giving up my social life… and a few other things. That’s where I began my reign as Captain of #TeamNoSleep. I assumed that because I was young, all of those hours of sleep I was missing would not be missed. My body, over the last few years, has decided to let me know otherwise; And, if you don’t take my advice – yours will too.
HERE ARE A FEW THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE MAKING A HABIT OF SLEEPLESS NIGHTS:
1. You’re going to end up with wrinkles that make you look older than an artifact in the Museum of Natural History. Not cool.
Just take my word for it, after a year or two of this sleepless routine, my amazingly tight skin was no more. I woke up one morning and all of a sudden I had lines deeper than Footlocker when they release new Jordan’s.
2. The bags under your eyes are not going away. They will get bigger and darker.
No amount of eye creams or frozen spoon treatments will resolve this issue that you could have provided. I even had to start sleeping on my back to reduce morning puffiness – my bags had grown to look like I had an allergic reaction every day.
3. You turn into a human garbage disposal.
Yup. It’s true when you don’t get enough shut-eye you eat more. Sleep deprivation will make you a food zombie. When you’re not sleeping, you’re waking up your appetite-inducing hormones that will ultimately make you a hungry, hungry hippo. Unnecessary weight gain? No thanks!
4. Suddenly, everyone around you is noticing that someone needs an attitude adjustment ASAP… and that someone is you!
Mood swings are a common sign that you aren’t getting enough rest. You become short-fused, irrational, quick to assume, and flat out not pleasant to be around. You may even be cranky without even knowing it… but, everyone around you will. Don’t be THAT GUY/GIRL!
5. Your brain is playing no games. If you don’t give your body what it needs, prepare for your brain to go on strike, along with your memory.
Hey, if you don’t mind being forgetful, losing your train of thought, struggling to recall even the most simple things, keep staying up all night. Headaches, memory loss, and lightheadedness are just a few of the symptoms that will occur if you keep up this unhealthy habit.
Let’s be serious, nobody wants to look and feel like crap all the time. Eventually, it’ll catch up to you and it ain’t’ gonna be pretty. I’m not the only one who will tell you that if you become a veteran to this lifestyle, it’s extremely difficult to get your body back on track. And, if you think one full day of catch up sleep will do the trick, think again.
Take my advice: If you don’t snooze, YOU LOSE!
zZzZz zZzZz zZzZz… Do you catch my drift? Good.
