Cellular shades can block light, improve sleep

It's widely known that not getting enough sleep can be bad for one's mood but according to Newsweek it can negatively affect nearly every aspect of healthy living.

Researchers at the University of Chicago found that getting too little sleep can result in weight gain because being sleep deprived can cause changes to certain hormones that regulate appetite and the bodies response to sugar, the news source said. In some cases these changes can even lead to diabetes.

Perhaps most alarming is that it is difficult to sense sleep deprivation. The source cited a University of Pennslvania study that found sleep deprived subjects thought they were functionalling normally when, in fact alertness declined steadily over the two weeks.

Adults require between seven and nine hours of sleep a night but experts found in 2005 that American's are averaging around 6.9 hours of sleep a night - down as much as 25 a minutes a night from 2001.

One way to ensure enough sleep is by hanging room darkening cellular shades that can provide homeowners with a more restful sleep.