Sleep is so important to your health. In this post, we’ll discuss why sleep is vital to better health and how to get better quality sleep when you hit the sack. 

Sleep Awareness Week

Each year, in March, the National Sleep Foundation designates a week as sleep awareness week. This is to emphasize the importance between your sleep and your health. In 2022, those dates are March 13-19.  So I thought this would be a great opportunity to talk about the value of sleep, the impact it has on our health, and how to make the best of our sleep.

Why Is Sleep Important? 

Good quality sleep has more power than you might think. It can decrease your risk for obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. Also, while you’re sleeping, you are healing. Our bodies go through so much a day to keep us running. While all that work is impressive, it is still work. In order to be productive at work, you need breaks no? Same thing for our bodies.

This also applies if you work out. When exercising, we are tearing muscle fibers that need to repair. A lot of that repair is done during sleep. 

Sleep is also important for one’s mental health. On a basic level, not getting enough sleep can make one irritable, foggy, and less productive. For those who struggle with depression, anxiety, etc, getting adequate sleep should be a part of your treatment plan. This is one of the simplest things we can do to manage our mental health.

READ MORE: Keep Your Heart Healthy & Kick heart disease to the Curb!

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READ MORE: Stroke Awareness Month – What You Need to Know to Prevent One

How much sleep do you need?

For most adults, you should be aiming to get 7-9 hours of sleep a night. The exact amount varies per person. However, you can test for yourself to see how much time allows you to wake up feeling refreshed. 

Getting Better Quality Sleep

The amount of sleep you get is important. However, even more important is the quality of sleep you’re getting. Quality over quantity, right? So how do we make sure we’re getting the best quality sleep? Having a good mattress and a good routine around sleep is helpful to get the best quality sleep. 

How to Choose the Right Mattress

You have to consider several factors. Which position do you prefer to sleep in? Do you sleep alone or do you share your bed? How soft or firm do you prefer your mattress? What type of mattress do you prefer?

If you have no clue which mattress you might be interested in, I’d recommend going to a mattress store or the mattress section of a department store and trying out different mattresses. I would do this even if planning on shopping online for a mattress. Then when you make a decision, if shopping online, most of the online retailers come with a 30-90 day trial. That way if you don’t like it, you can return it for free.

What is sleep hygiene & how can it improve your sleep?

Routine = Results. Now I have not yet established a good bedtime routine. However, this is something I’m aspiring to. So if you’re also struggling, let’s be struggle buddies. 

Sleep hygiene refers to habits you put in place to set yourself up for the best sleep possible. 

How do you do this? Here are 5 things you can do.

1. Set a bedtime. Try to keep the same habit daily. 
2. Optimize your sleep environment by making it comfortable, dark & quiet.
3. Create a bedtime routine that helps you relax. This could be having a cup of tea or listening to calm music.
4. 30-60 minutes before bed, try to stay away from screens. Our phones have attractive bright lights that tend to keep us alert and stimulated. Putting them away can make it easier to fall asleep. 
5. Don’t bring tasks to bed. You don’t want to think of your bed as a workspace. It could make it that much harder to fall asleep when you need to. 

READ MORE: How To Create A Routine To Get Results You Want

Having better sleep habits is a goal I have for this year. While I know I need to be in bed by 10 PM the latest, I always find myself doing tasks well into the night. There’s always something to do right? However, I continue to learn about the benefits of sleep to optimize exercise and weight management. So therefore, I am going to continue to adjust my habits until I achieve my goal. 

If you have any tips, I am open to hearing them. If you encounter challenges in getting the most out of your sleep, let’s commiserate and motivate each other.

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