Years ago, I was doing a half marathon and saw someone with a t-shirt that said "I'll sleep when I'm dead." I was in my 30's and thought that was brilliant. Who needs sleep when there is so much fun to be had! Well, now that I'm older (and hopefully wiser) I look at it a little differently.
When we don't sleep enough - or we sleep poorly (more on that later), there are many impacts to our health. Did you know that not getting enough sleep can cause chronic inflammation, weight gain, Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, depression and many other long term health issues? Who knew that there were so many reasons to 'get your zzz's.'
When we do sleep well, in addition to avoiding some of the issues above, we also heal/recover, sort out important information from the day, have a healthier heart, and are in a better mood all around! Current recommendations are to try and get at least 7 hours sleep per night.
There are so many stimuli which can get in the way these days. So here are a few tips that may help you:
- Avoid electronics for 30 minutes before bed and turn off your phone volume if you can
- Use an app for guided sleep meditation or mood music (CALM is a good one)
- Do not eat late in the evening
- Go to your bed to sleep (not a chair or couch)
- Invest in a good bed and pillow
- Wear a sleep mask for darkness
I'm thinking about a new t-shirt slogan: "Sleep to live, live to sleep"!
In good health,
Jackie