The Importance of Sleep for a Healthy Lifestyle

Most of us would have heard sometime in our lives that we need 8 hours of sleep. I for one took this very serious , honestly I enjoyed sleeping and I took getting my rest as a matter of importance. Up until I got pregnant with Zachary ,for that entire 9 months or so I did not get a good nights rest . This was due to complications in my pregnancy. Of course ,when baby came that was another story which we are all so familiar with. Zach was a good baby after three months he slept through the entire night but that didn't help me because I was paranoid and got up every 2 hours to check on him!! This caused my sleep pattern to change drastically. In 2016, I had a bright idea to go back to school and get my MBA , being a mother of two , a wife, a house to run and a full time job the only time I could get some studies in is at nights . There were nights when I was up for hours heading to bed after 3 sometimes 4 am , this was imperative . Even when the semester ended it was difficult to get to bed at a decent hour , I have been made a conscious decision to go to bed at 11pm for the latest.  That is yet to be accomplished!!

Here are some tips and benefits of a good night's rest;

Lets start with the Sleep Cycle :

Reasons why we require a good night's sleep:

• Poor Sleep Can Make You Gain Weight - Poor sleep is strongly linked to weight gain
• Good Sleepers tend To Eat Fewer Calories - Studies show that sleep deprived individuals have a bigger appetite and tend to eat more calories 
• A Good Night Sleep Can Improve Concentration and Productivity- Sleep is important for various aspects of brain function.This includes cognition, concentration, productivity and performance.In a study on basketball players, longer sleep was shown to significantly improve speed, accuracy, reaction times, and mental wellbeing . Less sleep duration has also been associated with poor exercise performance and functional limitation in elderly women.
• Poor Sleepers Have a Greater Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke- A review of 15 studies found that short sleepers are at far greater risk of heart disease or stroke than those who sleep 7 to 8 hours per night
• Experimental sleep restriction affects blood sugar and reduces insulin sensitivity .In a study of healthy young men, restricting sleep to 4 hours per night for 6 nights in a row caused symptoms of pre-diabetes
• Mental health issues, such as depression, are strongly linked to poor sleep quality and sleeping disorders
• Even a small loss of sleep has been shown to impair immune function.One large 2-week study monitored the development of the common cold after giving people nasal drops with the virus that causes colds
• Sleep can have a major effect on inflammation in the body.In fact, sleep loss is known to activate undesirable markers of inflammation and cell damage.

Tips for Sleeping:

• Stick to a sleep schedule
• Pay attention to what you eat and drink close to bed time 
• Create a bedtime ritual - relaxing techniques
• Get comfortable - create a room that is ideal for sleeping 
• Limit day time naps 
• Include physical activities in your daily routine 
• Manage stress.   

I hope this information helps us get some Zzzzzzzz..