Get Your Zzzz's: How Sleep Impacts Your Overall Health & Happiness

How much sleep do you get every night? Or, perhaps the more important question is, how much quality sleep do you get each night? Is it enough?

Not enough sleep affects how you feel in your day-to-day actions... both physically and mentally.

Having been in the modeling industry for years, Carol Alt knows just how important sleep is for your overall health and happiness. Traveling, long days on photoshoots, and constantly being "on" are just some of the things Carol experienced in her career, and which she had to overcome in regards to her sleep patterns.

But, regardless of what career you have -- even if you're a stay-at-home mom -- you also have things that get in the way of your sleep.

When you're not rested and don't have any energy, you try to make up for it the rest of the day in different ways. For instance, you may make bad decisions. You may overeat because you need the energy to keep going, and it's not coming from you being rested, but rather from something like sugar or carbohydrates (like pasta) that turn into sugar.

Also, when you're not sleeping well, the stress on your body can open you up to a whole host of other health issues.

So, next to eating well, a good night's sleep is essential for overall health.

Can you "make up" for sleep that you've lost?

Essentially, no. Once you create a sleep deficit, you'll always be lagging behind. Even if you sleep in on the weekends, it won't replenish you the way consistent, restful sleep does.

Making sleep a priority has to be a personal decision. When you're younger, you can handle sleep deprivation a little better because your adrenals are a little younger, and your body is overall better able to handle 4-5 hours of sleep. As you age, however, your body simply needs more sleep.

Listen to your body... your body thrives on balance, whether that's in your work, play, diet or sleep.

Tune in as Carol joins Andrea and Lisa to share the importance of sleep, as well as how too little sleep can affect you physically, mentally and emotionally.