Sickly

Sickly. The word itself doesn't seem strong, or healthy.
I hate being sick. I'm currently sitting on my couch with a sinus headache, a lovely wheezing cough, and a very stuffed nose. This is the third time I've gotten sick in two months and I hate it. I know what your thinking: nobody likes being sick. I know, nobody likes being sick, but I especially hate being sick a lot. I feel like being sick, even if it's just a small cold, is a sign of weakness.
I'm definitely not the nicest or most empathetic person. We all have those friends that just seem to be sick all the time and I can't help but see those people as weak. Technically, their immune systems are weak so it's not really that far of a stretch.
I'll be leaving for college in just a few months now, and it really worries me how much I've been sick despite getting the flu shot in November. I think that my mom is right: not getting enough sleep weakens your immune system and makes you more susceptible to even the most trivial of ailments. Going into college, I know it's going to be very important to not only get enough sleep, but also make sure I'm using hand sanitizer, not sharing drinks, and staying away from those who are already sick.
I hate being sickly, but that is exactly how I feel right now.
I urge everyone to make sure they're getting enough sleep and washing their hands etc. because it's been a very rough flu season, and I wouldn't wish whatever I've got to anyone simply because they're lacking sleep.

Fatigued

I write this post as my eyelids work overtime to try and stay open, even though it's only Eight O'clock and I just woke up from an hour and a half long nap. I could call this fatigue. If there's one changed I've noticed my body undergo all through out high school, it's that I'm not constantly tired. I could have had nine glorious hours of restful sleep (I just got a FitBit Heart rate monitor which will help me tack my sleep and see how restful it is) and wake up and feel exhausted.

I think as you grow through your four years of high school, you become more and more okay with the idea of over-working yourself. For many, the goal in high school is to succeed by any means necessary, and often times that means sacrificing your health via sleep deprivation and poor eating habits. I'm extremely guilty of falling into both of these traps, however, I'm working on taking better care of myself in preparation for college next year.

Yesterday, the National Sleep foundation released their updated recommendations for amount of sleep needed to be healthy. I created a survey below to see how people measure up to the recommended amount of sleep. I hope to create another post after I've collected sufficient results from the survey detailing what seemed to be the most popular responses, especially per age group.

Click here for larger view of the infographic