by Alicia Gonzalez

Created on: May 04, 2009   Last Updated: May 11, 2009

The alarm blares and we moan as we fumble for the snooze button. Surely it can't be morning already. We feel this way so often because we lack the amount of hours needed for rest. Too many of us lead such busy lives or have made such a bad habit of staying up too late. Adults should get eight to nine hours of sleep. If we must, seven can cut it. We fall short of fulfilling this requirement.

We are preoccupied when we brush our teeth and set the alarm. We still think way too much when we climb into bed and shut our eyes. We think about our day, our day tomorrow, problems we have and what needs to get done. Too much thinking gets in the way of our efforts to fall asleep. Our mind is going crazy with thoughts and worries. Even when we do end up falling asleep, we often wake up many times due to the weighing thoughts we are overwhelmed with.

Our eyes begin to get heavy and we yawn. We often feel tired. Instead of going to bed, we stay up and get other things done. When we finally do go to bed, we lay there and wait for our dreams to come. They rarely come quick. Once we are past the tired mark, it is often difficult to fall a sleep. Being too tired can be a negative.

Our body is full of energy but the clock forces us to pull the covers over us. If we are over stimulated, we can easily have a hard time catching some shut eye. If we worked out, came home from a party, got into a fit or something else that was stimulating, our bodies are too stimulated to shift into sleep mode. Even if our minds are clear, our bodies may be too excited.

We close our eyes and listen to the radio or television. Many of us sleep with one or the other on. We might think that this helps us fall a sleep. Sometimes it may seem like it really does, however, many times it will sabotage the body's efforts to slip into relaxation. Our brain hears the sound and tries to engage. Even if we are lucky enough to go to sleep, the noise may later wake us back up.

The clock keeps ticking and we keep refusing to change into our pajamas. There is one obvious thing we do that harms our sleeping hours. We go to bed too late. So often we stay up late to catch our show or get something done. By the time we do go to bed, the alarm is already waking us up before our bodies are fully rested.

When we don't get enough sleep, our bodies pay for it. We feel sluggish, our eyes are heavy, we feel so tired and it is hard for our brains to process. We have a hard time concentrating, we may be moody and a lot more irritable. Lack of sleep can also cause health issues. Taking care of our bodies doesn't always just mean exercising and eating healthy. We also need our sleep to remain in good health. Try not to think and worry so much at night, try to relax before bed, go to bed when tired, turn the radio and television off and go to bed at a decent hour. Turn the lights of and recharge your body. Tomorrow will be another busy day.

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