Science says we need about 7-8 hours of sleep, but what happens if we don’t? There are many reasons we don’t get enough sleep. From staying up late to finish work or waking up too early because of school, missing out on a few hours of rest can be tough on a teenager. While most of us dread nodding off in class, do you realize how dangerous a bad night’s sleep can be?

According to a 2014 Huffington Post article, sleep deprivation can be very dangerous. It can increase your risk of having a stroke and obesity. Too little sleep can cause you to make unhealthy food choices or serve yourself larger portions. Not getting enough sleep is also a risk factor for diabetes. Diabetes causes high blood pressure levels, leading to increased hunger and weight gain.

When suffering from sleep deprivation, you can become forgetful and unfocused. Sleep deprivation can cause memory loss and brain deterioration. The stress of too little sleep can lead to heart disease. Studies show that short sleepers seem to die younger. People that sleep for less than 6 hours a night are four times more likely to die early compared to those with strong sleep habits.

Knowing the side effect means nothing if you don’t know if you are sleep deprived. According to the same Huffington Post article, there are a few signs that you are sleep deprived. If you fall asleep immediately within five minutes of lying down, you have severe sleeping deprivation, and possibly a sleep disorder. If you rely on clichés such as “better safe than sorry,” “practice makes perfect,” or “thinking outside the box,” your creativity could be lacking because of sleep deprivation. If you lack rest, you start to become forgetful, which makes it harder to form memories.

Sleep deprivation causes you to be hungrier than usual, according to the same article. It can affect two key hormones-leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is a hormone that tells you when to stop eating, while ghrelin is a hormone that tells you when to eat.

If you zone out frequently during important things, such as work and school, you are definitely sleep deprived. If you fall asleep when sitting in school or work, especially during daytime hours, you might be suffering from sleep deprivation.

Next time you decide to watch a marathon of your favorite TV show or stay up late on social media, think about the consequences of sleep deprivation.