Don’t Take Good Sleep for Granted

Sleep is something that we all maybe take for granted. We maybe know we should get more or feel better when we do, but getting enough sleep can be a challenge.

While you likely have heard that we need seven to eight hours of sleep, have you ever wondered why? Sleep is vital to many developmental processes and helps our body recover from daily stressors and exercise. Sleep is vital in brain development and memory. This is the main reason that younger people need more sleep than adults.

Adults should get seven or more hours of sleep per night. There are some things we can do to help improve our sleep.

• Set a normal sleep and wake time and stick with it, even on weekends. Our bodies get used to a normal sleep-wake cycle and varying too much from this can have adverse effects.
• Limit caffeine consumption, especially in the afternoon and evening. Caffeine can have up to a five-hour half-life, meaning if you consume 200 milligrams of caffeine at 5 p.m., 100 milligrams is still present at 10 p.m. when you are headed to bed.
• Limit alcohol. While you may feel that alcohol helps you fall asleep, it often interferes with deep sleep and tends to make our sleep more broken up.
• Limit electronics and screens before bed. Keeping electronics out of the bedroom prevents us from scrolling social media or watching TV too late. Also, the blue light emitted from screens has been shown to mess with melatonin production, which is the hormone responsible for making you feel sleepy.

Sleep is a vital to our everyday life. Try prioritizing your sleep and see the difference it makes in how you feel!

Learn more about health and wellness benefits.

By Nate Petersen, LiveNOW Health and Wellness Coach