Ballerific Health: 5 Surprising Facts About Sleep That You Probably Didn’t Know – blogged by: @proudlylauren

Getting the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep seems to be difficult when we’ve deemed work, television, caking on the phone, and everything else under the sun more important. In fact, 40% of American adults are sleep deprived. However, there are more advantages to sleep than just feeling rested in the morning. Did you know, more sleep could equal better sex? If more/better sex isn’t convincing enough to get the proper amount of shut eye, take a look at the following 5 facts about sleep. They may actually persuade you to cut out the distractions and get the hours of sleep you need.

1. Skipping out on sleep can visibly alter skin: Resting not only gives your mental a break, but your skin also. Think about it; while you sleep your muscles in your face are relaxed, there are no strains, and no wrinkles. In an experiment done in the UK, scientists tested the effects of sleep deprivation on women. They photographed women after they got the recommended 8 hours, and then again after only getting six hours over an extended time. The results: fine lines and wrinkles increased by 45% for those with less sleep, blemishes increased by 13%, and redness increased by 8%. So, if you’re looking to improve your beauty routine, sleep may be the additional Improvement you need.

2. Being too sleepy is comparable to being drunk: An Australian study determined that after being awake for more than 19 hours, some people are likely to suffer from cognitive impairment similar to a blood alcohol level of .05%. Stay awake for a few more hours than that, and you can actually be impaired comparable to that of the legal “drunkness” limit of .1% BAC.
3. This “sleepy drunkness” actually causes a comparable amount of drunk driving car accidents: According to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, not only does being sleepy make you feel drunk, but in some cases drive drunk also. The amount of car accident fatalities and injuries from sleepy driving is strikingly similar to that of drunk driving accidents and fatalities.
4. Sleeping less could mean eating more: Sleep deprivation is scientifically proven to increase appetite and in one particular study, resulted in subject eating an average of over 500 calories more than those who are well rested.
5. Sleep deprivation can cause loss of focus: Have you ever gone to a meeting and no matter how many cups of coffee or packs of sugar you have prior, you just can’t keep your eyes from closing? By the end of the meeting you are lost, and might as well have been absent, honestly. That’s because when you’re tired, and trying to focus on staying awake, it’s impossible to focus on the task at hand too.
So if you want to look vibrant, have more sex, or simply be more focused… Simply try getting more sleep.