Welcome to the Simple Steps to Improved Health Challenge Day 5 Get Enough Sleep
Reminder to choose 1 of the first two actions to work on this week starting today or whatever day you want the week to start on for you. See Day 1 for more information about the challenge.
How Does Getting Enough Sleep Improve Health
You are likely to have brain fog when you sleep less than 7 to 8 hours. Additionally, you will not process your emotions or memories properly through the night potentially causing moodiness and forgetfulness.
Inflammation increases in the body and your damaged cells don’t get cleaned up and broken down, and proteins recycled to make new cells when you skimp on sleep.
When you sleep the recommended 7 to 8 hours, your blood pressure goes down and your hormones and blood sugar level out allowing your heart and digestive systems to rest. This provides a decrease in risk for diabetes and weight gain.
Sleep allows your immune cells to function properly and protect you from invaders like the common cold. You will perform better driving, in athletic activities, and in mental activities.
How to Take Action to Get Enough Sleep
Decide how much sleep you need. Is it closer to 7 or 8 hours?
Think about times when you do not have to wake up to an alarm. What time did you go to bed and what time did you wake up? Did you feel rested?
If you felt rested and went to bed around your normal bedtime then count the hours between going to bed and waking without an alarm. Then ensure you are going to bed in time to wake up for work.
Maybe you found you went to bed at 10 and woke at 6 without an alarm. So try to go to bed to get 8 hours of sleep. If you actually get up at 5:30 am to get ready for work then consider getting to bed by 9:30 so you get the 8 hours.
If you typically go to bed at 10 and wake at 5:30 just fine then you can continue that schedule but try some other things to ensure when you get in bed you are ready to go to sleep.
Go Do it Get Enough Sleep
One thing that helps with a good night’s rest is a nighttime routine.
Plan to be ready to get in bed in time to get your 7 or 8 hours of sleep.
Maybe you shower at night, brush your teeth and read a book for 10 minutes. Maybe you brush your teeth, get in bed and watch Netflix. Whatever you do, it is helpful that it happens, in the same way, each night.
The second is Netflix. You can watch tv but ensure you have night vision on the tv or blue-light-blocking glasses on for the time you want to watch. Also, have the timer on to turn off the tv at the time you need to fall asleep on time.
Third, it helps you sleep when you sleep nude or mostly nude to help your body with temperature regulation. It also improves your body image and if you are with a partner, skin-to-skin contact creates stress lowering hormones while you sleep.
Finally is temperature control. Having the room at 65 degrees F seems to be optimal for good sleep. Higher temperatures may make it more difficult to fall asleep and cause you to wake more times in the night.
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