When we are able to get a good night’s sleep, we wake up feeling refreshed and alert for our daily activities. Sleep affects how we look, feel and perform on a daily basis, and can have a major impact on our overall quality of life.
To get the most out of our sleep, both quantity and quality are important. Most adults need at least 7 to 9 hours a night of uninterrupted sleep to leave the body and mind rejuvenated for the next day. When we don't get adequate sleep, we accumulate a “sleep debt” that can be difficult to pay back if it becomes too big. The resulting sleep deprivation has been linked to health problems such as obesity and high blood pressure, negative mood and behavior, decreased productivity, and safety issues in the home, on the job, and on the road. If sleep is cut short, the body doesn’t have time to complete all of the phases needed for muscle repair, memory consolidation and release of hormones regulating growth and appetite. Then we wake up less prepared to concentrate, make decisions, or engage fully in school and social activities.
Make sleep a priority. Instead of falling asleep after you’ve gotten everything else done, make an effort to stop doing other activities at a certain time and get the sleep you need.
If you are having trouble sleeping, try following one or more of the tips below...
- Establish consistent sleep and wake schedules, even on weekends.
- Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet, comfortable and cool.
- Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows.
- Adopt a regular, relaxing bedtime routine (starting an hour or more before the time you expect to fall asleep) such as soaking in a hot bath or listening to soothing music.
- Use your bedroom only for sleep (avoid watching TV or using a computer in bed).
- Finish eating at least 2 to 3 hours before your regular bedtime
- Exercise regularly during the day or at least a few hours before bedtime.
- Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol products close to bedtime.
This blog is doing wonders for me as I hope it is doing wonders for you, my readers. I am learning so much. After researching sleep for this blog, I have decided to start going to bed one hour earlier at night to improve my daily moods and performance. Of course this means going to bed at 9pm since I wake up at 5am every day, but I will do what I must!
I only sleep 6 hours a night not because I have trouble falling asleep mind you I go out like a baby. I just wake up naturally after about 6 hours sleep. if I sleep more than that like 8 or 10 hours I have a hard time getting to sleep the next night because I'm not tired
ReplyDeletesomebody told me once that I have a 32 hour internal clock instead of a 24 I don't know about that but it does make a lot of sense because yes I sleep 8 hours I can be awake for 24 before getting tired if I sleep 6 im awake for 18 before I get tired
When I was doing research for this blog post it did say some people function well on less sleep. Everyone is different and has different factors contributing to how much sleep they actually need.
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