July 28, 2017
Every night we wish to close our eyes and drift into a slumber of peace and tranquility for 8 hours uninterrupted until we awake refreshed and ready to take on the day. That of course is the ideal scenario, however, many lay awake at night with thoughts of debt, work, laundry, groceries, and the list goes on.
Sleep is not just a time out from the day, it’s a time for our mind and body to re-set, heal, and rejuvenate. Sleep plays an integral role in our overall well- being. Without proper 7-9 hours of sleep the body does not function at its optimal state. Here are just a few of the many ways sleep deprivation can affect your health.
The Importance of Sleep
What happens when you don’t get enough sleep?
- Lack of sleep can wreak havoc on your immune system. ‘Studies show that people who don’t get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as a common cold. According to Dr. Eric J. Olson, infection-fighting antibodies and cells are reduced during periods when you don’t get enough sleep’1. Sleep is essential to allow the body to heal and protect itself.
- They don’t call it ‘beauty sleep’ for nothing! Lack of sleep affects collagen formation and therefore causes your skin to age. Sleep deprivation also causes cortisol levels to rise which results in skin inflammation and damage.
- A bad sleep can also affect your mood. According to a University of Pennsylvania study, ‘researchers found that subjects who were limited to only 4.5 hours of sleep a night for one week reported feeling more stressed, angry, sad, and mentally exhausted. When the subjects resumed normal sleep, they reported a dramatic improvement in mood.’2
For the aforementioned reasons and for so many others that are not listed here today it is essential to our overall health to have consistent deep sleeps.
Here are some great tips on how to improve the quality of your sleep:
- Do not sleep with your electronics on. Turn your TV off and make sure your cell phone is at least 4 feet away from you in airplane or sleep mode. The electronic currents interfere with your brain activity and glowing screens promote wakefulness.
- Try sleeping with a diffuser that emits lavender oil in the air. The smell of lavender oil relaxes your mind and eases worries away. What also works well to relax you before bed is a hot bath with Epsom salts and lavender oil. The salts release toxins from your body and the lavender oil soothes your soul.
- To eliminate the day’s stresses from your mind at night, make a to-do-list earlier in the day. Take the worry clutter out of your mind and onto a piece of paper so you don’t need to lay awake thinking about all the things you have to do.
- Ask for a massage from your significant other or buy a head massager for yourself as a way to relax before bed. The massage will send shivers down your spine and release the tension of a hard day’s work from your body that may keep you awake at night.
- Do not eat any food at least 2 hours before bed. Your digestive system is still hard at work even hours after you eat which can keep you awake. Also, avoid any caffeine consumption after 4pm.
With these tips, you may only need to count to sheep number 3 before you drift into the slumber you long desire!
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