Sleep is crucial for your overall health. It helps your brain reset, your body regenerate, and your memory consolidate. Without enough restorative sleep, both your body and health can suffer. So, how can you sleep better?
Why does sleep amount matter? You might think that if you can manage through the day on little sleep, missing a few hours won’t hurt. But actually, it does!
MOST AMERICANS ARE AT LEAST SLIGHTLY SLEEP DEPRIVED.
This impacts many facets of life, causing impaired judgment, reduced creativity, poor memory, and increased impulsiveness.
If not addressed, sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain, depression, insulin resistance, and even heart disease. The longer you go without enough sleep, the more severe these health problems become.
It’s not just about the amount of sleep, but also the quality. Quality sleep is just as essential as the duration.
The amount of sleep needed varies by age and activity level, but most experts agree that adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep.
Sadly, if your lifestyle is like that of the average American, you’re probably only getting about five hours of sleep a night, which isn’t sufficient for good health.
So, how can you improve your sleep? Here are some tips:
These are just a few steps you can take to get better sleep. Look for more information and tips from reliable sources.
What if you’re already sleep-deprived?
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT YOU CAN PAY OFF YOUR “SLEEP DEBT,” BUT IT’S BEST TO DO SO GRADUALLY.
Start by adding an hour of sleep at a time until your body rebalances and adapts to a healthier sleep schedule.