Are You Still Not Getting Enough Sleep Every Night?
One of the most important lifestyle choices we can make is to ensure we are getting enough sleep - every night.
And yet, The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) have conducted surveys revealing that at least forty million Americans suffer from over seventy different sleep disorders.
They also tell us that 60% of adults and 69% of children experience one or more sleep problems a few nights or more during a week.
And there is more...
In addition, more than 40% of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least several days each month while 20% report "problem sleepiness" a few days a week or more.
We have to make a change
The benefits of getting regular, good quality sleep every night are enormous and include:
- Our memories improve
- We live longer, healthier lives
- The toxic inflammation in our bodies decreases
- We experience increased creativity, attention and focus
- There is less fat likely in our bodies and we can increase our muscle mass with exercise
- We lower our stress levels and decrease our risk of depression
- We decrease our dependence on stimulants like caffeine
- We lessen the risk of being involved in accidents of every type
Your goal should be long-term good quality sleep sustainability
- Important to know that you need sleep as you grow older, with one of the advantages being that a good night’s sleep could be the way to avoid back pain. Researchers have discovered that those discs in our spines actually have a twenty-four hour body clock so good quality sleep will help to protect that natural body clock and help you to avoid disc problems and back pain as you grow older.
- We often ask how much sleep do we need? Sleep experts have put together this litany of their recommendations for different age groups: While we know that adults usually need 7 to 8 hours, newborns sleep for about 16 to 17 hours a day but sometimes for only 1 or 2 hours at a time (as many new parents will have experienced). Older babies will need less sleep but of course every baby is different. Toddlers (1 to 3 years old ) – 12 to 14 hours a night. Preschoolers (those from 3 to 5 years old) require 11 to 13 hours a night. School-aged children (up to 12 years old) need 10 to 11 hours a night while teenager function best on about 9 hours a night.
- There are plenty of Natural ways to fall asleep including making sure your mind is not working overtime; going to bed and getting up at the same time each day with time to unwind before bed especially if it has been a hectic day; enjoying a soothing and warm bath before bedtime; melatonin is vital to ensure good sleeping habits and this is only produced during darkness so make sure your room is darkened when it is time to sleep; ensuring your mattress is not old and decrepit; and that your bedroom is neither too warm nor too cold.
