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Sleep and Save Money
By Daniel | June 18, 2008
How can sleeping 8 hours a night save you money? In a report by Lesley Stahl of 60 minutes, she explores the latest research on sleep. Sleep deprivation has been linked to serious problems such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. A full night of sleep is also critical for us to perform our best. You may not directly save money or instantly save money by getting more sleep, but over time it could make a difference. Below is a list of the areas where 7.5 - 8 hours of sleep could save money.
- Reduced medical costs
- Lower grocery and food bills
- Earn more money at work
- Lower car insurance premiums
- Making rational decisions
With sleep deprivation linked to health issues you will incur more medical expenses including office visits, medication, or insulin supplies. Your health insurance may also be affected by having a higher premiums due to being overweight or having diabetes. In some cases people are denied health insurance if they are overweight.
Researchers are finding that people that don’t get enough sleep often indulge in excessive snacking. The horimone in the brain, leptin, that tells us we are full is lacking when we don’t have enough sleep. By getting enough sleep you will buy less food.
When sleep was reduced to only 4 hours per night in a study, the memory and performance of the brain suffered drastically. Poor performance at work could cause you to make a mistake that costs you money, a promotion, or your job.
When you are drowsy due to a lack of sleep it can be as dangerous as driving drunk. If you’re in a car accident you will have expenses or higher premiums.
In sleep deprived situations your emotions are not kept in check by the logic portion of your brain, the frontal lobe. This emotion could play a part in how you spend money or invest it. If you’re investing money late at night and have had a lack of sleep you might make decisions based off emotion rather than logic.
I encourage everyone to watch the entire show below. Watching people who are sleep deprived shows how important 8 hours is.
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Topics: Personal Finances |