Sleep and Your Health
There are different factors that affect how much sleep we get from the rhythm of our internal clock to our stress level. But what does lack of sleep mean in real terms? Yes we may get a little cranky, or give in to that carb, fat, and sugar craving but the impact on your health is more than you may realize.
Lack of sleep compounded over time leads to weight gain from binge eating foods you crave, poor heart health, risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke, risk of diabetes, lowered immunity, worsened appearance, increased inflammation in the body, a lower sex drive, and altered mood. Now, imagine existing in this state all the time and the impact is has on your health as you age. How long can you exist this way before a serious health concern evolves?
In our modernized world and busy day to day many of us don’t know what it feels like to be healthy because we’ve never experienced complete health. Our perception of health is usually; no issues or feelings of being unhealthy one must be healthy. In fact, there are things going on in our body that we can’t see and one way your body repairs itself is through sleep. The state of sleep allows your body to regulate hormone balance, rid itself of toxins, repair cells, and process and regulate emotions helping to reduce and better handle stress.
These easy tips can help improve your sleep routine and avoid serious health pitfalls
1. Stick to a schedule; go to bed around the same time every night
2. Clear your mind before bed, meditation timer is a great app to refocus and let stress and worries go
3. Don’t drink too much alcohol before bed. Not saying don’t enjoy that cocktail party but your brain has a hard time reaching REM if you over do it - leaving you feeling unrested the next day. Give yourself a few hours before you hit the hay.
4. Make your bedroom a haven for sleep; not the entertainment room
5. Get outside! Our bodies need daylight to maintain it’s biological clock and when to sleep.
For more information on sleep and its benefits follow the links below
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-deprivation-and-deficiency
healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/health
