The Importance of Sufficient Sleep
Healing Power of Sleep
Its interesting how no one notices the relationship between technology advancement and sleep deprivation. With the rise in technology, people in today’s society seem to be getting less sleep and are more distracted than ever before. We should take note from our early ancestors, who had way less distractions and as a result lived longer, healthier lives.
Even the modern day concept of success is constructed with little to no regard towards getting quality sleep. To make matters worse, there are countless success stories that failed to mention the quality rest and relaxation that was needed to avoid wrecking havoc on their bodies’. It’s best to correct the bad habits causing your sleepless nights sooner than later, but first need to understand the true importance of getting undisturbed rest and relaxation.
The Truth will “Set You Free”
The truth is that sufficient sleep will actually help you feel less stressed and more motivated, productive, and focused. That way you’ll be able to concentrate on your tasks better and achieve your goals more creativity and precision.
The Health benefits of getting sufficient sleep regularly includes;
- Better mood
- Increased cognitive abilities
- Sharper memory
- Better focus & concentration
- reduced stress levels
- Stronger stronger immune system
Sleeping for at least 6 to 8 hours regularly will help lower the risk of getting serious health complications like high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, irregular heart beat, heart failure and other heart problems. The internal functions of your body will get a chance to reset and restore any hormone imbalances, increase insulin sensitivity, regulate your glucose tolerance, and boost your metabolism. That way your body and mind can take on your goals and accomplish tasks for the day at optimum efficiency.
Heal Your Body
During sleep, your Parasympathetic Nervous System (fight or flight responses) gets a chance to relax, and instantaneously repair damaged DNA. Harmful toxins that are accumulated throughout your day also gets flushed out naturally during deep sleep. Its even more important to get sufficient sleep when living an active lifestyle, especially if you are constantly on your feet for extended periods of time.
Exercising Regular
Regular exercise is a great way to improve your health and sleep quality, however make sure that you don’t over do it by exercising longer than usual. Over-training can lead to health complications that weaken your immune system and elevates your resting heart rate. Overly tense muscles and a faster beating heart isn’t the best state to be in when its time for bed, so to be on the safe side stick to work outs that last 30- 45 minutes. Also make sure to stretch after a proper 10 to 15 minute cool down.
Effects of ‘Insufficient’ Sleep
Without sleep, your mental abilities become impaired and leads to bad memory, horrible concentration and difficulty learning. And can even result in more severe cognitive conditions like Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Relationships are also negatively affected when you choose to skip your daily slumber by causing severe mood swings, irritability, unnecessary anxiety and even depression.
Persons who experience sleepless nights complain about feeling ‘foggy’ and confused during the day. Making simplest decisions can seem challenging for these individuals, and some of them also complain about having trouble with their balance and coordination throughout their day. The embarrassing part is that skipping quality sleep consistently can also lower your sex drive. If being disappointed in the bedroom isn’t enough motivation for you get better quality sleep I don’t know what else will, but that’s where id draw the line and make a change for the better.
There’s so much at stake regarding your mental and physical health when you don’t sleep enough, so please do yourself and everyone in your life a huge favor by catching up on some quality rest and relaxation.
Getting Deep, Rejuvenating, sleep is easier than you think!
If you’ve tried everything and still can’t get a good night’s sleep there are three areas of your life that you need to pay close attention to. Your 1)Diet, 2)Daily Habits, and 3)Breathing & Relaxation. Simple as that! Try the following tips and make sure to spread the word to someone else you know that’s also having trouble getting six to eight hours of deep, undisturbed sleep.
The 3 Golden Rules for Deeper, Rejuvenating Sleep
#1 Diet
The old saying- ‘you are what you eat’ is absolutely true, and in this case, what you eat can contribute to your levels of relaxation daily. Foods rich in magnesium are known to help with muscle tension and is an important nutrient that can help you sleep longer. This is because magnesium helps regulate the neurotransmitters that are directly related to sleep, and reduces restlessness. Having a magnesium rich diet is also very important for persons who are active or workout regularly due to its importance in helping your muscles, nerves and heart processes function smoothly. Building strong bones and maintaining good bone health requires sufficient magnesium in the body as well.
Signs that you may be Magnesium deficient
Persons who are magnesium deficient, experience horrible bouts of insomnia, frequent head aches, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), restless leg syndrome, anxiety and even depression. So if you are experiencing any of the symptoms above, make sure that you are getting enough magnesium from the foods that you regularly eat.
Magnesium Rich Foods
Foods rich in magnesium includes Quinoa, Beans, Nuts, Leafy Greens, Whole Grains, Fruits and Yogurt. Dark Chocolate is also packed with magnesium, however its best not to eat before bed. Sea Foods like Salmon, Lobster, Oysters, Shrimp, Shelled fish, Sardines and Tuna fish are great sources of magnesium. Vegetables like avocado, mushrooms, seaweed, spinach, kale, broccoli and lettuce are only a few of the many vegetables that are loaded with magnesium.
Many vegetarians get the majority of their daily protein, healthy fats, and magnesium from just a hand full of Nuts and Seeds like chia seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, and pumpkin seeds, just to name a few. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds contains very high amounts of magnesium with one cup of sunflower seeds yielding approximately 455 mg of magnesium, and 168 mg of magnesium for pumpkin seeds. The ‘daily recommended dosage’ for magnesium is between 270 to 300 mg.
Note: If its hard to get sufficient magnesium into your diet, you can consider taking a magnesium supplement, which can be purchased at a pharmacy or health food store.
#2 Daily Habits
Certain activities and habits are known to affect the quality of your sleep at night. Some of these common habits include,
Problem #1) Consuming Caffeine & Sugary Drinks
Solution: Its best to drink caffeinated beverages at least six hours before bed. In regard to sugary drinks, my advice is to cut back on them. However, its best to avoid drinking these in the evening or at night.
Problem #2: Alcohol consumption can affect your circadian rhythm, and cause sleep apnea, snoring and sleep disturbances.
Solution: Avoid drinking alcohol at night or avoid drinking alcohol for that day, period.
Problem #3) Taking naps during the day. Doing so can disturb your pattern of sleeping at a consistent time.
Solution: Go for a brisk walk or perform light exercise when feeling sleepy during the day. That way you can save that tiredness for the time that you’re used to sleeping at.
Problem #4) Watching T.V, Being on the phone or being on the computer before bed.
Solution: Avoid watching T.V and using these devices at least 2 hours before bed because they emit large amounts of blue light that tricks the body into thinking that its daytime. However, if you would still like to use your smart phone or device, make sure to download an app that blocks blue light. That way your body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm) won’t be interrupted and hopefully be able to catch some good sleep.
Problem #5) Exercising before bed.
Solution: Its better to do a form a low intensity exercise so that cortisol and adrenaline levels do not increase hours before your bedtime. Also make sure to avoid high intensity exercises and keep in mind not to exceed 45 minutes for your evening workout session to avoid overtraining, which can wreck havoc to your sleep for multiple days before being corrected.
#3 Breathing
Breathing exercises can benefit you in numerous ways, and in this case can help you unwind so that you get quality, undisturbed sleep. Practicing breathing exercises for at least 20 minutes can help reduce inflammation in the body, strengthen lungs, boost your immune system, improves digestion, reduce sinus symptoms and reduces stress.
Listening to Music can also help you breathe and unwind before heading to bed. Just make sure to listen to music that’s relaxing, with a slower tempo. Instrumentals, classical music, jazz and meditation sounds also works wonders. Breathe and visualize each musical note as you drift off to sleep.
Reading before bed is an interesting way to focus on your breathing, and surprisingly promotes deeper states of relaxation. Relax in a comfortable chair, or lay in a comfortable position then read your favorite novel, interesting articles or book, while breathing in a slow and controlled manner. Just make sure to use a ‘blue light filter’ if you’re reading from a smart phone or on your computer.
Meditation is another great way to reduce stress, breathe deeper and relax before bed and can possibly help you reach much deeper levels of relaxion than reading or listening to music. This is because when meditating requires more focus and concentration on your breathe.
Walking a few hours before bed has numerous health benefits and getting a deep sleep after is one of them. Focusing on your breath and foot steps help with concentration and can be seen as an ‘active’ form of meditation. All you need is at least 20 minutes of walking to improve digestion, reduce stress, lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure and helps clear your mind.
Wait, thats not all
