Health benefits of sleep

We all know and agree that it is necessary for growing children to get an adequate amount of sleep, but what about adults? Adults tend to burn the candle at both ends and squeezing all they can into a day, often times compromising valuable sleep. This can have serious effects on the quality of health.

According to the Mayo Clinic, adults should aim for about seven to eight hours of quality sleep per night. Other sources claim some adults could need as few as five and as many as ten hours per night. However, most sources agree if you feel drowsy during the day, even during boring activities, you are probably not getting enough sleep.

Quality of sleep is just as important as quantity. If your sleep is frequently interrupted or cut short, you are not getting quality sleep and should seek ways to increase your amount of sleep per night. If you experience frequent daytime sleepiness, even after increasing the amount of quality sleep, you should see your doctor as you may have sleep apnea or another serious sleeping disorder.

Consequences of not getting enough sleep include:

Memory problems
Depression
Irritability
Weakened immune system (increased chance of becoming ill)
Increased perception of pain
Increased effects of alcohol
Driver fatigue (potentially harming or killing yourself or another person)

The following are recommendations to help increase quality of sleep and wake up feeling refreshed and ready to start a new day:

Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning. Set and maintain a sleep schedule. Try to stick to it even on weekends. Failure to do so can lead to insomnia. “Sleeping in” on the weekends will make it harder to wake up on Monday morning.
Avoid drinking alcohol close to bedtime. While it may initially sedate you, alcohol keeps your brain in light sleep making it hard getting to the deep sleep and REM sleep phases and your sleep is less efficient. Arousals due to alcohol can cause sweating, headaches and intense dreaming.
In the late afternoon and evening, avoid caffeinated drinks because they act as stimulants. Caffeine sources include some soft drinks, coffee, chocolate, non-herbal teas, some pain relievers and diet drugs. Caffeine can stay in your system up to 14 hours. It increases the number of nighttime awakenings and decreases total sleep time.
Avoid nicotine in the evening. This includes both smoking and smoking withdrawal systems such as nicotine patches. Nicotine is a stimulant, like caffeine, so it pumps your heart up. Smokers often have trouble sleeping because the length of a good night’s sleep is more than their bodies want to go without a cigarette. They wake up early due to nicotine withdrawal.
Wake up with the sun, or use very bright lights in the morning. Sunlight helps the body’s internal biological clock reset itself each day. Sleep experts recommend exposure to an hour of morning sunlight for people having problems falling asleep. This is also a great treatment for jet lag.
Keep the bedroom quiet and dark and at a comfortable temperature. Extreme temperatures may disrupt sleep or prevent you from falling asleep. Make sure you have a good mattress and pillow.
Try to exercise 20 to 30 minutes a day but not right before bedtime. For maximum benefit, exercise a couple of hours before going to bed, especially if you are the type of person who becomes more alert with exercise.
Develop a relaxing routine before bed. This may include a warm bath, light stretching, listening to soothing music, reading or other relaxing activities.
Don’t go to bed feeling hungry, but don’t eat a big, heavy meal right before bedtime.
Don’t lie in bed awake. If you can’t fall asleep within 30 minutes, go to another room and do something restful until you feel tired. Don’t read in bed. If you want to read, get out of bed and sit in a chair.
Don’t have a visible bedroom clock because “clock watching” will only help intensify the misery of insomnia. You can always turn the face of the clock away from you or put it in a drawer.
Reserve your bed for sleeping and sex. Keep the television, laptop, cell phone, food, etc. out of the bedroom.
Don’t make bedtime the time to solve your problems. Create a “to do” list for the next day then try to clear your mind.
Don’t nap during the day if you have trouble sleeping at night. If you must, take a brief 10 to 15 minute nap about eight hours after waking.
Try not to drink fluids at least two hours before bedtime as a full bladder can interfere with sleep.
If you need to get up during the night, do not expose yourself to bright light. Intense light can reset your internal clock and make it harder to get back to sleep.
Avoid sleeping with your pet because their movements or your allergies can decrease the quality of your sleep.
know the side effects of your medications. Certain medications can either compound sleepiness or make falling asleep more difficult. Let your doctor know if you have sleep problems so they can do their best not to prescribe medications that worsen your sleep difficulties.