Hello.  I'm Susan, a Registered Dietitian and doctoral student in Health Studies at Texas Woman's University.  As a Dietitian, I've known that a lack of sleep contributes to weight gain, but it wasn't until recently that I learned about the negative effects sleep deprivation can have on the brain.  Many of us live fast-paced life's with more to do than we have time.  This is especially true for students.  Many of my classmates (and myself) talk about staying up late trying to get their school work done after having worked at their jobs all day.  By doing so we are trying to turn our 24 hour day into twenty-six and twenty-seven hour days.  Unfortunately, pushing ourselves and going without sleep can have many negative consequences.  For one, it may be adding to our already high stress levels.  In addition, sleep deprivation can also have negative effects on our brain.  Good health is so important, especially brain health.  That's my reason for writing this blog, to learn about the consequences of sleep deprivation by reviewing some of the latest research.  Why not join me as I report weekly throughout the remainder of this fall semester on a different aspect of sleep deprivation.  Hopefully in the process we'll discover together not only the consequences of not sleeping, but also ideas on how we can get more quality sleep.  Stay tuned!