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Wellness > Health

Lose the Freshman 15: Neglecting sleep is never good

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I’m not going to lie. I’ve been a mess this week. And by mess, I mean, as my stress level increases, my Jump Start Diet is not going so well.

Ever since my weekend away with non-dieting, I’ve had trouble balancing no sleep, overworking, and trying to stay on the health wagon. It’s been really hard, and I’m going to be honest, I haven’t been so successful.

The other day I had burger and fries. While not ideal, it was the quick dinner I needed to power me through a project. Then the next day, I had a couple slices of pizza with some friends.

Yeah. Bad. I know.

So today, as I finished my first exam and two final projects, I tried to figure out my next move to hopping back on this wagon. My first instinct was to spend some quality me-time at the gym. But I’m not going to lie. I was exhausted. As graduation nears, my sleeping pattern continues to take a downward spiral into a new level of bare minimum.

So, for the first time in forever, I decided to try the whole napping thing. BAM! I was out for around two and half hours.  And you know what? I feel so much better. I feel like I can go to the gym and do a killer workout.

Sleep is really important, and without a healthy amount of it, I won’t be able to expect any weight loss. But with my level of exhaustion, I think trying to workout would have done more harm than good. I know that napping was a great first step to getting more focused on the program and tomorrow—after a good night of sleep –I’m going to hit the gym.

Do you ever neglect yourself during exam time too? Email me about it at NikkiRoberti@HerCampus.com or tweet me anytime @Nikki_Roberti.

Nikki is a senior at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC majoring in journalism. Obsessed with all things magazines, she hopes to one day be a health editor for a publication in New York. She interned at Parents magazine through ASME and also reported on the hill in D.C. through the Scripps Howard Foundation Wire semester in Washington program. Currently, she is the Health Editor for Jaye Magazine and runs the health-meets-wedding planning blog, The Bloated Bride.