You may have a hard time eating the right mix of foods for your health, and with all the fast food temptations around us, who wouldn’t? It may also be nearly impossible for many of you to find the time to exercise, despite all the good it can do.
No doubt, it takes great effort in many areas of your life over the long haul to improve your health. That said, one of the best and easiest things you can do is getting the right amount of restful sleep every night.
A very persuasive argument can be made that sleep is the foundation upon which good health is built. Recent studies have linked sleep problems — too much and too little — to a litany of problems. Among them:
* Diabetes
* Depression, particularly among teens and children
* The stability of interpersonal relationships
* A greater risk of falling among the elderly
People Need Their Beauty Sleep
Interestingly but unfortunately, almost all that is known about why humans need sleep has been collected only over the past half-century, thus research in this field is, at best, still a work in progress. Even as scientists continue to learn why our bodies need sleep, studies on animals are discovering a broad list of benefits that keep growing by the day.
For example, researchers believe sleep may have evolved as a way for animals to protect themselves from disease naturally by bolstering their immune systems. In a more recent study on a broad array of species, UCLA scientists learned sleep may be a necessary component to an animal’s survival.
Arguably, the best evidence may be the more than 70 disorders associated with sleep deprivation, contributing to some $16 billion in medical costs, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The most popular culprits: Sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy and insomnia.
A Sleep Checklist
There’s no question we need our sleep to survive, so our bodies and brains can function more optimally (giving credence to the term “beauty sleep”). Experiencing the stages leading up to the deepest levels — rapid eye movement (REM) — and avoiding the many disorders associated with a lack of sleep is the real trick, however.
What follows is a common sense list of tips, tricks and pointers you can use to get the right amount of sleep every night. Although some of these suggestions sound unconventional, all of them are safe and none require taking a drug.
1. Turn off the laptop, PDA and mobile phone, and keep them out of your bedroom when you retire for the night. And, while you’re at it, move that huge and gorgeous flat screen LCD TV out too. Bedrooms are for resting and sleeping, not entertaining! But, if you must watch a little TV to relax before going to sleep, stay away from watching the news. Choose an episode of Seinfeld or The Simpsons to watch instead, in your living room.
2. Even though this suggestion may sound like heresy to pet owners, if you’re fighting for space and sleep time on your bed with, for example, three cats craving your undivided attention simultaneously, it may be better for your mind and body to evict them too.
3. The cooler you keep your bedroom, even in the winter, the better you’ll sleep.
4. Your parents said, “Lights out!” for a reason. The bedroom is the one place in your home where you’ll want to completely stay in the dark when sleeping.
5. Don’t go cheap on your mattress and pillows, at the very least, to protect your back. Learn more about picking out the right mattress and pillows for your needs at Spine-health.com.
6. Establish a relaxing sleep routine and stick to it, which means going to sleep and waking up at the same times every day, even on weekends.
7. Cut your consumption of stimulants, namely nicotine and caffeine, and liquids before bedtime. Stay away from eating heavy meals late in your waking day too.
8. Plan to make a trip or two to the bathroom before you turn in for the night.
9. Although the jury is divided on the benefits of an afternoon nap, make it short and do it earlier in your day.
10. He or she who hesitates often loses sleep. When you’re ready to go to sleep, just do it. If sleep doesn’t come very soon after your head hits the pillow (give it 15-20 minutes), get up and read a book or watch another Seinfeld episode. You’ll get to sleep sooner or later.
11. If none of these tips improve your sleep, don’t hesitate to make an appointment with your doctor. While you’re at it, schedule a physical especially if you want to avoid a cancer diagnosis in your future.
Sources
Discovery News August 21, 2009
Discover Magazine March 22, 2009
U.S. News and World Report October 16, 2008
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (National Institutes of Health) May 21, 2007
