Think you're getting enough sleep with just 5 hours a night? You're not. It's risky to your health for a lot of different reasons, including it can lead to heart failure. But here are some specific things that happen to your brain.

  1. You get distracted more easily. It might seem like you're really prone to multi-tasking, but in reality your brain is getting distracted in order to keep you awake.
  2. You're more anxious. A study was done at Berkeley that where volunteers went an entire night without sleep. The next day their anxiety levels were 30% higher, and half of the volunteers were on par with having an anxiety disorder.
  3. You have a shorter fuse. A recent study showed that people who averaged just 4 and a half hours of sleep a night were more likely to be annoyed by something small, like a barking dog. It also makes less patient with your co-workers.
  4. You take bigger risks. A study was done with guys between 18 and 28 years of age who averaged 5 hours of sleep a night. They were then given situations where they could take a gamble. The guys who averaged 5 hours of sleep a night were more likely to take a high-risk gamble.

Now, if you aren't getting enough sleep. Here are some tricks to keep you awake.

  1. Get some sun
  2. Take breaks to stretch and move around
  3. Drink coffee (but not too much)
  4. Take a 20 minute nap, but just 20 minutes. Any more will make you feel groggy.

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