College dorm rooms bring on their own breed of sleep saboteurs — from the always-looming coursework to the impromptu Justin Bieber dance party happening down the hall.
But anyone who has pulled or attempted an all-nighter has felt the dismal effects of getting too little sleep.
Sleep debt (i.e., not getting enough of it) has short- and long-term consequences for your body, your health and how you function, says Jess Shatkin, professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine.
“Poor sleep affects everything from memory and neurological functioning to irritability, depression and anxiety,” he tells The Huffington Post. Recent studies have linked poor sleep to a wide range of health problems, from an inability to focus and pay attention to difficulty staying at a healthy weight. And even more research has shown when you don’t get enough sleep, you’re more likely to get sick, get emotional, have an accident and even look less attractive.
To help yourself get seven to nine hours of sleep a night (which is what the National Sleep Foundation recommends for anyone age 18 to 25), Shatkin and other experts say to watch out for these sleep wreckers:
Sarah DiGiulio is The Huffington Post’s sleep reporter. You can contact her at sarah.digiulio@huffingtonpost.com.
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Source: Black Voices Huffington Post
Link: 9 Things In Your Dorm That Are Wrecking Your Sleep