One bad night of sleep can make for a lousy day but imagine the impact of weeks and months without sleep on our body. Poor sleep habits can wear our bodies down over time if we are not careful.

Millions of Americans face sleepless nights each year. At a minimum, aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night, but how many of us achieve this goal? However, a decision to ignore this recommendation could lead to an adverse effect on your body.

Here are ten ways poor sleep affects your body:

1 – Anxiety

Despite the side effect of feeling drowsy and perhaps moving in perpetual slow motion, poor sleep can leave you feeling anxious. Researchers have discovered that people with insomnia are 17 times as likely to have anxiety than those who can achieve the recommended hours of sleep (National Sleep Foundation). Continue reading →

How well we sleep can have a significant effect on our bodies. Our heart, lungs, immune system and metabolism all depend on the power of this single activity. It is the brain however that both regulates and relies heavily on our sleep habits.

With little or no sleep, our mind struggles to function at optimal levels, and the side effects can prove disruptive and over the long-term, utterly devastating to our daily lives.

Scientists indicate that after 19 to 20 hours of no sleep, we increase the risk for these ten things to happen in our brain.

1 – Brain Damage

Although you might think your decision to forgo sleep will only create temporary problems, Swedish researchers found that long-term sleep problems can lead to some degree of neural injury and even contribute to brain shrinkage. Continue reading →