Sleep – a very basic activity in life and very important for better health, wellness, and even for the business.
It is a basic function regulated by our internal clocks or the circadian rhythm.
The circadian rhythm, also known as our body’s 24-hour “internal clock” that controls our body’s sleep-wake cycle, is set by biology.
It’s true that our internal clocks naturally change a bit as we age, but we still need to adjust to the rhythm we are born with.
If we violate the clocks, by staying up when they tell us to sleep, they will get out of rhythm and that is when we feel out of rhythm, that’s feeling sick.
Just think of a day after you had too little sleep… you feel drowsy and become a slow thinker.
Guess what? That happens after just one night out of rhythm.
SLEEP HOURS NEEDED
Healthy grown-ups need 7 to 9 hours per night to get a good night’s sleep. Younger people need more than that and those who are 65 and older need at least 7-8 hours.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF INADEQUATE SLEEP
Regardless of your perfect bedtime, the sleeping hours are important as there are consequences to face for getting inadequate sleep.
Repeatedly inadequate sleep results in a lot of problems, including, but not limited to: obesity, blood pressure increase, higher risk of cardiovascular disease, the risk for stroke and diabetes, slow memory recall, and a whole lot more.
These consequences aside from being bad for the health are also bad for the business. You couldn’t be hustling with your business if you are already too unhealthy or forgetful to do so.
THE SOLUTION
Now that we know the risks, let us discuss the solutions.
How do we get enough sleep with better quality?
First, avoid caffeine and cigarettes when it’s near sleeping time. These are stimulants and we don’t want to have much active brain stimulation if we’re gonna sleep.
Next, avoid drinking alcohol late at night. Alcohol indeed makes you feel drowsy and sleepy, but too much of it makes your sleep pattern disturbed so even though you quickly fell asleep because of drinking, you won’t get your sleep in the right order. Wonder why you wake up feeling tired even after sleeping for long hours? Bet now you know the answer.
And third, is to engage in daily physical activity as it helps the body rest and sleep better at night.
Even just 30 minutes of brisk walking will do but remember not to have the heavy physical activity done too close to bedtime so you’re not in the hype when you try to sleep.
OPTIMIZING THE SLEEP ENVIRONMENT
You can also achieve a good night’s sleep by optimizing your sleep environment, like avoiding bright lights or Television as the blue lights of those will block your most important sleep hormone, melatonin.
You can instead wind down by listening to soft music or reading nice books.
IMPORTANCE OF ROUTINE
Not everyone can sleep the moment they lie down. Some need an extra 20 minutes before falling asleep.
If you are one of those who need the extra time, use it to wind down and do it every day until your body gets used to it.
OBSERVANCE IS THE KEY
Do not forget to observe the time you go to bed, the times you wake up at night, the time you wake up in the morning and remember if you have had a good night’s sleep or not.
Maybe you can make notes about this for a week as a sleep diary. That will make you see the pattern with ease. And by seeing the pattern, you will easily know what’s going on and you can easily pinpoint the possible causes of bad sleep.
If you want to know more about how caring for yourself and managing your stress helps in elevating success, here’s a complimentary guide you can download.
To your success and keep smiling,
