Going Out? Why Not Just Go To Bed?

September 30, 2012
By: Eti Tashkova

Summer is over and those of us who spend the holiday in the comfort of their home (where food is free and laundry magically appears fresh and clean folded in the wardrobe) are back to the harsh reality of poor student life.

And let’s not fool ourselves – yes, we managed to spare some money working as a high-qualified-super-well-paid waitress (which also leaves a priceless mark on every fashion designer wannabe CV), but something’s telling me that money didn’t last even over fresher’s week.

So here comes the mandatory “must-read” article on how to be fabulous, have fun and fit in your budget at the same time, that always comes out around this time of the year. While I am sure that there are a number of pieces that could teach you everything – from reducing your gas bill and growing your own vegetables to the best second-hand shops and how to bag a bargain – I am thinking of one activity, highly underestimated and broadly taken for granted.

Sleeping, my Ladies, is one of the biggest pleasures mankind has known, absolutely, 100% free and…a 21-centuriy luxury.

A recent study revealed that one in three suffer from lack of sleep. As students, who are used to wild parties until 5 a.m. and all-nighters before exams, it is highly possible that we fall into that group. Let me just point out some interesting facts about sleeping that could make you change your mind next time you decide to go to the pub “just for an hour”:

1. Sleep helps you control your weight because it regulates the hormones responsible for your appetite. So if you are eager to get rid of those 2 pounds that have been bugging you for months, just make sure you get your “beauty sleep” instead of a midnight snack.

2. Sleep stimulates creativity. Apart from strengthening your memories, it also restructures them and makes their emotional components stand out, which may result in increased creativity.

3. Lack of sleep results in lower libido, especially by men. This is so because men who don’t get enough sleep have significantly lower levels of testosterone. Increased stress levels kill sex drive of women too. So if you want a healthy relationship, you need to get that healthy dose of sleep first.

4. Sleeping can solve your problems! Because the brain extracts the “meaning” of the past day and the important information, people actually perform tasks better after they’ve had a nap and find solutions to problems much easier on the next morning.

5. Staying between the sheets saves you the 30 pounds you would have spend on those inevitable tequila shots you swore you “weren’t having tonight”.

More interesting facts about sleep on:

http://www.abc.net.au/science/sleep/facts.htm