For a group of people that puts such a high value on sleep, college students don’t do it nearly enough. There’s a fear of the Freshman 15 and a glorification of the typical all-nighter on the night before an exam (yes, those two things are related). Struggling with the decision to burn some calories at your 6 a.m. spin class even though it’s midnight and you haven’t put on your PJs? Here are five reasons why you should turn off your alarm:
Let’s Get Some More ZZZZZZs
1. Sleep = healthier decisions
Everyone has had to make the dreaded decision between salad or pizza, and personally, I almost always choose pizza. According to science, that might be because I don’t get enough sleep. In a study published by Nature Communications, it was shown that sleep-deprived people craved food with 600 more calories than what well-rested people wanted.
2. Burn calories in your sleep
While you’re sleeping, you can burn up to 75 calories. While that doesn’t sound like much, it’s equivalent to a 20 minute walk. What sounds more fun to you, a 20 minute walk or a healthy eight hours of sleep? I know what I’d pick.
3. Can’t sleep and snack simultaneously
How many times have you stayed up too late and watched a movie while snacking on popcorn? Or maybe it’s 2 a.m., you’re still studying, and it occurs to you that Starbucks is 24/7 and wow, a hot breakfast sandwich is starting to sound really good right now. Those extra calories start to add up, and you can avoid them by just going to sleep.
4. Sleeping boosts fat loss
The University of Chicago recently found that you can exercise and eat well all you want, but if you aren’t getting enough sleep, that progress you’re seeing might be an illusion. In a controlled study, the researchers proved that people who got an average of eight hours of sleep per night lost three pounds of fat and three pounds of fat-free body mass while on a strict diet. Those who got only five hours of sleep per night, however, only lost one pound of fat and FIVE pounds of body mass.
5. The less sleep, the more stress
“Self-care” isn’t just a fun trend, it’s an important part of life. A healthy mind leads to a healthy body, and the common denominator for mind and body is a good night of sleep.
BRB, Gotta Go Sleep
Let’s start to praise and follow the friends we typically make fun of for going home early to get some sleep. Our bodies will thank us.