Sleep
Sleep is something we all do. Some of us get lessfewer than others;, some get too much. Many have struggled tos gettingting to sleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early. Whichever the case, sleep affects us all.
Sleep is important for everyone. It helps relieve stress and regulate your mood, as well as helps your focus, logical skills, coordination, and general functioning. Consequently, it allows you to perform better on the job or in school, to be patient with your kids, and to get along better with your partner. Proper sleep can also reduce your risk for future health problems, such as high blood pressure, strokes, and heart attacks. Being rested during the day keeps you aware of your surroundings, allowing you to stay safer, such as when driving a car. By getting the right amount of sleep, you can also avoid some psychiatric troubles, such as depression or hallucinations.
If getting the right amount of sleep is important, it is then vital to know how much sleep is enough. An exact answer is not quite possible. Different age groups require different amounts of sleep. Even within these ages, one person may require significantly more or less sleep than another. According to the National Sleep Foundation, newborns tend to need the most sleep of anybody, requiring anywhere from twelve to eighteen18 hours of sleep. Infants need fourteen to fifteen hours. Toddlers need twelve to fourteen. Preschoolers need eleven to thirteen. School- aged need children need ten to eleven. Teens need about eight to just over nine hours. Adults need the least at seven to nine hours.
These are all general guidelines, though, which give you an idea of where your sleep range should be. If you feel that even with nine hours of sleep, you are still groggy and irritable throughout the day, try increasing your sleep time. Some adults, on the other hand, can manage less than seven hours a night and still function perfectly well and have a positive mood.
Even someone thatwho generally sleeps very well is, they are sure to have a few nights on some occasions when a night is particularly bad for sleeping. Numerous people, though, have significant sleep issues which keep them from resting properly. Various factors can contribute to this. The older you get, the harder it is to sleep for longer periods of time. Teenagers often have trouble getting to sleep early and getting up early. Those who work odd shifts or travel often suffer from insomnia. Those with health problems, pain, obesity, or depression frequently have troubles sleeping for any extended period of time, too.
Many sleep problems can be addressed by examining your daily habits and changing ones, which negatively aeffect your sleep. This could include setting a bedtime and sticking with it, avoiding stimulants a few hours before bed, engaging in relaxing activities an hour before sleeping, and practicing good eating habits. If your sleep problems stay the same or get worse, make an appointment with your doctor. He/sShe may have helpful suggestions, or be able to refer you to a sleep doctor if your issues are serious.
One big influence of your quality of sleep is stress. Stress not only affects your waking hours, but it also impacts your sleeping habits. A constant pattern of over-wrought emotions and heavy responsibilities can easily lead to insomnia. Poor sleep results in negatively influencing your upcoming day;, therefore, making a nasty circle which continues to spiral you downward.
Not all insomnia occurs because of stress in a person’s life,. bBut stress can definitely be a factor. The tension of the day can cause you to have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.
Typically, if you know that stress is what is causing your insomnia, you can work to address the issue. However, you may sometimes wonder if it is really the pressure of your life, or if it is another problem altogether. One way to find out is to consider back to when your sleep struggles began, or when the insomnia occurs. If you can look at your calendar and see that during certain difficult occurrences at work or home tend to be the same times you are having problems with sleep, you probably are suffering from stress- induced insomnia.
Keep a notebook handy throughout the day or even beside your bed. Take a couple minutes to briefly write downne the emotional level of the previous day. When you wake in the morning, be sure to write down how your sleep was that night. If you start to see a pattern of stressful days resulting in sleepless nights, you can target that your insomnia comes from how you responded to the day’s events.
If you find that stress is creating insomnia, know that you can work towards conquering your sleeping issues and start getting a good night’s rest again. Start by trying to wind down at the end of the day. While this may seem like an impossible task with a hectic schedule and too much on your plate already, it is essential to help you rest well. First, determine what time you will be in bed. Make it a realistic time, giving you a reasonable number of hours before you need to wake up, but not too long that you know you will just lie in bed staring at the ceiling.
After you have set a time to actually be snuggled under the covers, determine to spend an hour before this time to just de-stress. Purposely resolve to forget about the day’s problems and focus on relaxing. Turn off your phone, laptop, and TV. Listen to relaxing music, read a soothing book, take a bubble bath, go for a leisurely walk, spend some cuddle time on the couch with your partner, do yoga. Whatever will allow you to wind down, and something you will eagerly look forward to at the end of the day. Even though it may seem as if this is only adding more to your day, if you consider the benefits of a full night’s’ sleep and how you will feel refreshed and able to tackle the following day’s responsibilities, taking this time to de-stress is absolutely necessary.
Sleep can often be a rather mysterious factor in our lives, even though we experience it every night. Most of the confusion revolving around sleep is due to the fact that we are all unconscious during our resting time. Our brain largely closes down our senses so we can fall asleep, and, drifting off, we are usually very unaware of what is going on around us or inside our own bodies. Therefore, many myths have been passed around. While some of the misconceptions about sleep may seem harmless, some can be dangerous to your health. Therefore, it is important to be aware of them.
One myth is that it is okay to stay in bed if you are not sleeping, as long as you are trying to go to sleep. If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, and are in the habit of tossing and turning, watching the clock, or staring at the ceiling for longer than twenty minutes,; you should get up. Your body is obviously not allowing you to relax and is not ready to rest. You will save yourself a lot of stress if you get up and leave the room. Participate in something relaxing, such as reading a book or stretching. Do not resort to turning on your laptop or checking Facebook on your phone as this will only keep your body alert. Once you feel sleepy again, head back to bed.
Another myth is that a healthy diet and regular exercise have nothing to do with your sleep. To the contrary, those who regularly eat well and work out, sleep significantly better. A proper diet results in your body receiving all the nutrients it needs. Some of these vitamins and minerals (such as B vitamins, calcium, and magnesium) play a vital role in your body’s production of melatonin, as well as providing stress relief and mood stabilizers. Exercise also helps reduce stress and regulate your mood. When performed earlier in the day, it helps give you energy to last through the day, thus eliminating the need for naps. If you can keep from napping, you will feel ready to fall asleep much easier at night.
A third sleeping myth claims you can get away with less sleep as long as you can make up for it later. While it sounds like a great plan, especially when your schedule only lets up over the weekend, it is false. As adults, your body usually needs at least seven hours of sleep at night to prepare you to function for the day ahead. Your body cannot save up on the sleep you may gain over the weekend, and space it out for you over the upcoming week. If you are consistently missing out on the proper amount of sleep every night, your days ahead will suffer from it. Sleep will helps regulate your mood, handle your stress, increase your thinking and coordination, and give you energy. While it may seem as if you are saving yourself time when you skip on sleep, in reality, you are making more work for yourself the following day.
By analyzing your sleeping habits and becoming aware of the myths surrounding sleep, you can start making your life better. Poor sleep leads to bad days. Get your life back on track by getting some good sleep.