Science has been trying to understand sleep for ages, but sleeping is a lot more complicated than one would think.
As we all know, sleeping is a necessity; from humans down to birds and reptiles, we all do it.
It is vitally important to all of us, yet getting "proper rest" continues to elude many.
This article will serve to emphasize the importance of sleep and hopefully motivate you to re-evaluate your sleeping habits.
Most importantly, it will also teach you tactics to improve your sleep.
THE TROUBLE WITH SLEEP Take first into consideration the fact that many of you are parents, partners, employers, employees, homemakers, caretakers, students, etc.
It is no secret that fulfilling each of these separate roles can significantly interfere with your ability to get proper rest.
Next, consider that most of you typically fulfill at least three or four of these roles at the same time.
Then, add in such common nightly complaints as, "My spouse snores.
I keep myself up thinking and worrying.
I can't get peace and quiet.
My body aches keep me up.
I have to get up to go to the bathroom a lot.
I just can't get comfortable...
" and you may start to see how far from getting proper rest many of you actually may be.
With this in mind, I invite you to take in what you read here and make a point to address this crucial issue in your life starting today.
Talk with your doctors, partners, families and friends about your sleep.
Make yourself and the people around you aware that getting your proper rest is important to you.
As you will learn, doing this can not only help you feel better mentally, physically, and emotionally, it can help you look better too! HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? Many of you have heard the rule of thumb to get 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
For a majority of people this is a good rule to follow.
In fact, that is just where that number came from; a majority of people, when asked reported that they felt better when they slept 7-9 hours per night.
In reality, defining the "optimal amount of sleep" is more complex than that.
Research actually suggests that the number of hours one sleeps is less important than the quality or depth of sleep.
You see, sleep patterns vary from person to person, they can even vary throughout an individual's lifespan.
So, instead of focusing on the hours, sleep specialists urge people to self-reflect on how tired they feel when waking up and how sleepy they feel throughout the day to properly evaluate their quality of sleep.
If you find that you literally have to drag yourself out of bed each morning or you are chronically sleepy throughout the day, chances are that you may not be sleeping enough hours or the overall quality of your sleep could be the culprit.
It is also important to consider whether there are other underlying issues at work, as sleep problems are both a common symptom and cause of many internal ailments and external problems.
I strongly urge all of you to consult your healthcare providers about your sleep, especially if you already know that you have chronic sleep problems.
Talk to your doctor even if you know for sure that the cause is something external like your husband's snoring, because it may motivate you to do something to help yourself and your loved ones.
Do not ignore these problems, because as you will learn poor sleep can impact you in a million ways.
More on sleeping in the next article!
As we all know, sleeping is a necessity; from humans down to birds and reptiles, we all do it.
It is vitally important to all of us, yet getting "proper rest" continues to elude many.
This article will serve to emphasize the importance of sleep and hopefully motivate you to re-evaluate your sleeping habits.
Most importantly, it will also teach you tactics to improve your sleep.
THE TROUBLE WITH SLEEP Take first into consideration the fact that many of you are parents, partners, employers, employees, homemakers, caretakers, students, etc.
It is no secret that fulfilling each of these separate roles can significantly interfere with your ability to get proper rest.
Next, consider that most of you typically fulfill at least three or four of these roles at the same time.
Then, add in such common nightly complaints as, "My spouse snores.
I keep myself up thinking and worrying.
I can't get peace and quiet.
My body aches keep me up.
I have to get up to go to the bathroom a lot.
I just can't get comfortable...
" and you may start to see how far from getting proper rest many of you actually may be.
With this in mind, I invite you to take in what you read here and make a point to address this crucial issue in your life starting today.
Talk with your doctors, partners, families and friends about your sleep.
Make yourself and the people around you aware that getting your proper rest is important to you.
As you will learn, doing this can not only help you feel better mentally, physically, and emotionally, it can help you look better too! HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? Many of you have heard the rule of thumb to get 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
For a majority of people this is a good rule to follow.
In fact, that is just where that number came from; a majority of people, when asked reported that they felt better when they slept 7-9 hours per night.
In reality, defining the "optimal amount of sleep" is more complex than that.
Research actually suggests that the number of hours one sleeps is less important than the quality or depth of sleep.
You see, sleep patterns vary from person to person, they can even vary throughout an individual's lifespan.
So, instead of focusing on the hours, sleep specialists urge people to self-reflect on how tired they feel when waking up and how sleepy they feel throughout the day to properly evaluate their quality of sleep.
If you find that you literally have to drag yourself out of bed each morning or you are chronically sleepy throughout the day, chances are that you may not be sleeping enough hours or the overall quality of your sleep could be the culprit.
It is also important to consider whether there are other underlying issues at work, as sleep problems are both a common symptom and cause of many internal ailments and external problems.
I strongly urge all of you to consult your healthcare providers about your sleep, especially if you already know that you have chronic sleep problems.
Talk to your doctor even if you know for sure that the cause is something external like your husband's snoring, because it may motivate you to do something to help yourself and your loved ones.
Do not ignore these problems, because as you will learn poor sleep can impact you in a million ways.
More on sleeping in the next article!