Do you get enough?
How much do we need?
How can sleep effect our lives?
How can you improve yours?
So many people forget that sleep is a vital part of our health. We know we need to exercise and eat healthy but how is your sleep?
Benefits of quality sleep
improves your attention and concentration
keeps your heart healthy
helps maintain a healthy weight
helps with mood, hormones and emotional well being
reduces stress levels
keeps energy levels up
helps with recovery
improves your memory
keeps the heart healthy
Those are just a few to mention.
Quality over Quantity
If your always tired and think you need more sleep then that might not be the case. In order to sleep better and feel more rested we need to improve our sleep hygiene. This means making sure we are relaxed and our body is ready to sleep without distractions etc. Drinking alcohol before bed may help you get off to sleep but the quality of that sleep might be poor. 6-7hours of quality sleep is better than 8-9hours of non quality sleep. So sometimes it’s not a case of needing more sleep but just having better sleep.
Ways to improve sleep quality
Switch off phones, tv and tablets 30-60mins before going to sleep
Make your room cool and dark, you can wear eye mask if needed. I do as I’m sensitive to light.
Make sure you finish work and have some downtime before bed so your not going to bed thinking about work
Have a hot bath or lay down and concentrate on breathing to relax body
Don’t have caffeine 6-8 hours before bed
Don’t drink alcohol
Have comfortable bedding and suitable for time of year
Be careful with daytime naps. Sometimes it’s better to power through and go to bed early.
Don’t eat too late
Exercise to keep you mind and body healthy and to improve sleep quality
If you tired all the time and don’t have good sleep hygiene you may need to implement new rules to help you get off better and sleep better.
Sleep can effect our mental health, you may feel stressed and anxious if you haven’t sleep right. Sometimes we forget this and drink etc to help with the symptoms. But this doesn’t help. It only hinders. Exercise can help to alleviate stress and helps you sleep better. Sleep helps us have more energy to exercise. Here you can see the cycle.
Don’t moan about being tired all the time if your up late, drinking and watching crap Tv. Have a bath, quit the alcohol and get to bed early.