A little over a year ago, I wrote a post about celebrating World Sleep Day. :) Today I was reminded just how very, very important it is to get a good night's sleep, not only for the reasons listed below but also because it helps prevent me from snacking too much and for all the wrong reasons. Monday night I didn't sleep enough and I didn't sleep at all well. Tuesday was awful; I snacked too much, and I snacked badly (M&Ms and mini Rolos). Tuesday night I slept earlier and much, much better, and today's snacking was greatly reduced from the previous day. Not only did I realize it midway through the day, even though the same snack options were available, I was much less inclined to succumb to the temptation.
Get a good night's sleep...for lots of reasons!!
Cheers! Here's to your health!
(Original post: 3/16/16)
Sleep! Yes! There’s a day to celebrate everything, or so it seems, and so of course there’s World Sleep Day. (Although if you ask our dogs I’m sure they’d say every day should be World Sleep Day!) And thank you to my husband for pointing World Sleep Day out to me! :) This year’s World Sleep Day is this Friday. You can even take a pledge to go to sleep 30 minutes earlier than normal! (As a side note, I didn’t have a Wine & Wellness Wednesday last week as we were on vacation…and yes, lots of sleeping made for a great vacation!)
Sleep! It’s important for your health. (It’s super frustrating to suffer from insomnia, on top of the health issues that can result.) Getting the right amount of sleep helps with focus, learning, weight loss, and safety (particularly behind the wheel), just to name a few benefits.
What interferes with getting a good night’s sleep? I’m going to differ somewhat from most references and say it is different for everyone. Some people may be able to drink a caffeinated beverage right before bed and sleep really well; some people may have caffeine at 2:00 p.m. and not sleep until 3 a.m. You may be one of those who can’t eat anything too late in the day or you won’t sleep well, or you may be able to eat and fall asleep immediately. One thing that helps me sleep better is trying to cut back on screen time near bedtime, particularly using the iPhone or iPad. Although for me, it may also be wise to cut back on TV time as well. Sometimes I have the craziest, most realistic dreams inspired by whatever we watched before bedtime! And when I remember my dreams very clearly, I haven’t always slept well. Where I will agree with most references is that it’s important to have a routine, and have the same routine on weekends and weekdays. Try to get to sleep at the same time every day. Find a relaxing activity to help your brain wind down. If you find yourself awake and thinking about work, get up and write everything down; dumping it on a piece of paper and getting it out of your brain can help clear your mind and let you relax into sleep. Figure out what works for you. Your health depends on it!
Cheers! Here’s to your health!