Health and Your Life

If you answered yes to any of the questions, you are definitely not getting enough rest.

Thirty three percent of your life is spent sleeping. This is a large part of your life, so it should obvious that sleeping is almost as important to your health as drinking water or eating.

Sleep Needs

There are those who believe that sleep is a waste of time. They fall asleep late at night in their chairs and get up early to go to work. They are tired and grumpy all day from lack of sleep. There are those individuals who can sleep a few hours each night and feel full of energy all day. Their body has adapted to a completely different sleep pattern.

The average person needs about 7 or 8 hours of sleep each night to be fully functional in all their tasks. Unfortunately, very few people actually get that much rest.

Tips for Better Sleep

• Avoid coffee (except decaffeinated), tea (except decaffeinated or herbal teas), or alcohol. Caffeine impairs your body's ability to fall sleep. Alcohol may cause drowsiness, but it destroys REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and the deeper states of sleep, and the resulting hangover further lowers your energy level.
• Do not try to force yourself to sleep. Sleep comes easily when you are comfortable and relaxed. If you can put your body in a relaxed state, you lower anxiety and stress which also interfere with the sleep state.
• Get up and go to sleep at the same time everyday, even on the weekends. Insomniacs usually sleep at any time of the day in an attempt to catch up on sleep lost during the night. Unfortunately, the lack of a routine does more harm than good.
• Avoid any food after 8 pm, or at least 4 hours prior to going to bed. If you can not do without food, try to eat a light snack such as crackers and some cheese. Avoid the temptation to have a big meal, as your stomach must work all night to digest it, making you even more tired the next day. When you do eat during the day, keep good nutrition in mind. A diet rich in vitamins and minerals provides the optimum nutrition your body regardless of sleep issues.
• Daily exercise helps to relieve stress and tension in the body both of which interfere with healthy sleep patterns. When traveling or after a plane trip, try to at least do some stretching, or yoga prior to sleeping. Exercise quiets the mind and benefits your body in more ways than one. The deep breathing you will do during exercise helps to further relax the body.

Sleep deprivation can have many side effects. Not getting enough rest or sleep may cause confusion and inattentiveness, which may further result in accidents, miscommunication, and even death! The consequences can be serious.