Why Sleep is NOT for the Weak

So yes, having a bad night of sleep and waking up exhausted is a very big deal. We all know that adults require at least seven hours of sleep in a day for optimal health and productivity. Lack of sleep is known to cause difficulty focusing, crankiness, anxiety, depression and of course, excessive day time sleepiness.

The most common sleeping disorder, insomnia affects many individuals with symptoms like difficulty falling asleep, difficulty going back to sleep and waking up too early in the morning. Those symptoms are accompanied by day time symptoms that include fatigue, irritability and difficulty in concentration.

According to English daily News Straits Times, a shocking 35% of Malaysians suffer from insomnia symptoms and 12% suffer from chronic insomnia, highlighting a national crisis that needs to be addressed. The British Mental Health Foundation has also found that insomnia is inseparable from mental health issues.

Now that we know what happens when you don’t get enough sleep, here are some things that do happen when you get enough of sleep:

• Sleep helps alleviate stress
• Your body repairs itself during sleep
• Sleep helps balance hormones related to appetite (so you don’t overeat)
• Sleep reduces the risk of strokes and high blood pressure

Apart from all of theose health benefits, a good night’s sleep refreshes your train of thought and has you feeling ready and raring to get the day started.

Here’s how you can get a better night of sleep:

• Reduce blue light exposure during the evening/night times. This means put away your phones/laptops during bedtime.
• Don’t nap too long in the day. This will confuse your body clock.
• Try to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.
• Make your bedroom environment conducive for good sleep. This includes having a clean and comfy mattress and bedsheets.
• Exercise regularly in the day time. Exercising close to your bedtime can be counter productive as exercising is known to increase awareness and adrenaline.

Celebrate World Sleep Day today by catching some much needed Zs!

Image by cdd20 from Pixabay