Five Tips to Optimize Your Sleep to Improve Your Health
Sleep. Some of us love it, while others think it’s a necessary time-sink. Some have the habit of actively fighting it off until the wee hours of the morning when fatigue overtakes them, while others embrace the pleasure of an early bedtime. And naps? Still another wide area of disagreement.
The fact is, regardless of how we may feel about sleep, getting enough rejuvenating sleep is critical to our overall health and wellness. Without proper rest, our bodies don’t work the correct way, we lose focus, we become irritated and much more.
What if you could wake up each morning feeling totally rested? What that affect your life in positive ways? What would that do for your overall levels of happiness and your ability to accomplish tasks? What effects would it have on your relationships? Would it have a positive impact on your overall health and even the length of your life? Indeed, a lot of important things hang in the balance with regards to how much sleep we do (or don’t) get on a daily basis.
Recent research on our sleep habits showed that 35 percent of Americans don’t get the minimum recommended amount of seven hours of sleep each night, with all Americans averaging only 6.8 hours of nightly sleep. In the early part of the 20th century, the average person slept nine hours per night, showing a drastic drop in nightly rest. Another shocking stat is that 97 percent of teenagers get less than the recommended amount of sleep.
Sleep is a vital requirement for our lives, with its quantity and quality directly impacting our mental and physical health. Over the long-term, sleep deprivation contributes to or causes serious health problems such as stroke, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and kidney disease. Lack of proper amounts of sleep also contributes to depression and obesity as well as how long we live.
With these disturbing sleep trends along with the dire consequences of insufficient sleep, and given the fact we spend roughly one-third of our lives asleep, it’s time we make the most of it.
This is where sleep optimization comes in. Optimizing our sleep is not a difficult task. It simply requires us to do some honest self-inspection and then go through some trial and error. We all have different sleep requirements, since all of the other variables such as body weight, exercise level, caloric intake, etc., vary widely, so an ideal plan is unique to each of us. Here are some tips on creating the ideal sleep optimization plan for you:
Start by getting the recommended amount of sleep each night per your age group. The National Sleep Foundation has some great scientifically researched guidelines on this.
Start the habit of going to bed around the same time every night. This helps your body set a sleep rhythm.
Set your alarm for the morning and see whether you begin to wake up naturally a few minutes ahead of the alarm each day.
Wait five days. If you are still sleeping past your alarm, set it 15 minutes later and test it again for a few days.
Repeat this until you find the amount of time each night where you naturally awaken just before your alarm. If you have to push your alarm back too far to make your morning commitments, adjust your bedtime earlier to compensate.
Once you find your ideal amount of nightly sleep, it is vital to keep to the schedule, going to be and waking up at the same time each day, even on weekend. Our bodies are made to thrive in routines and a solid sleep regimen will reap the boundless health and vitality benefits. Not only will you fall asleep more easily, but you will also experience more quality sleep.
Sleep optimization is a powerful force for overall health and wellness. Along with proper sleep, diet, exercise, stress reduction, and relaxation also greatly contribute to positive, impactful wellness. Contact F3 Wellness Connections today for a free consultation to see how we can help you on your road to wellness. Whether it’s kettlebell training, massage therapy, yoga practice, or facials, we have what you need to find the peace, relaxation, fitness, and performance you are looking for. Don’t delay. Contact F3 today.