Sleeping is not overrated.
Are you lacking sleep? Sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). However, a lot of people are a lot of problems with their sleeping habits. Everyone’s individual sleep needs vary. In general, most healthy adults are built for 16 hours of wakefulness and need an average of eight hours of sleep a night. However, some individuals are able to function without sleepiness or drowsiness after as little as six hours of sleep. Others can’t perform at their peak unless they’ve slept ten hours. However you are able to function, sleeping is essential and lack of sleep can be detrimental. Outlined here are some of the consequences of lack of sleep:
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It impairs learning:
Sleep loss interferes with the learning of young people in our nation’s schools, with 60 percent of grade school and high school children reporting that they are tired during the daytime and 15 percent of them admitting to falling asleep in class.
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Health risks:
Such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, sleep disorders, headaches, or depression
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Lapses of attention or delayed reaction times:
According to the NHSA, falling asleep while driving is responsible for at least 100,000 crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 deaths each year in the United States.
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Death:
Short sleep duration has been linked to earlier mortality.
Catch up on your sleep! Outlined here are some tips to get a good night sleep:
- Keep a regular sleep/wake schedule
- Don’t drink or eat caffeine four to six hours before bed and minimize daytime use
- Don’t smoke, especially near bedtime or if you awake at the night
- Avoid alcohol and heavy meals before sleep
- Get regular exercise
- Minimize noise, light, and excessive hot and cold temperatures where you sleep
- Develop a regular bedtime and go to bed at the same time each night
- Try and wake up without an alarm clock
- Attempt to go to bed earlier every night for a certain period; this will ensure that you’re getting enough sleep
For more information, read more on sleep from American Psychological Association and from this article on WebMD!