There are activities in our daily lives that we can sometimes take for granted, one of them is sleep. We know we have to do it and we do, but do we really pay attention to it? Sleep can affect us in so many ways. This is why we are honoring the power of sleep in Sleep Awareness Week (March 13 to March 29, 2022). What does this mean? The importance of this event according to The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) is to improve health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy.
According to the Oxford Languages, the action of sleep is defined as a condition of body and mind that typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended.
Not sleeping can have major consequences in your everyday performance and mood. Chronic sleep deprivation can make you more susceptible to diabetes, heart failure, or high blood pressure. It can also affect your mental health by increasing the chances of depression, lack of energy, and low sex drive.
Most adults need 7 to 9 hours, there are cases where someone might need only 6 hours or even 10 hours of sleep each day, it depends on each person. Older adults older than 65, need 7-8 hours of sleep each day.
Here we share with you some tips for better sleeping:
- Regular exercise can help relieve stress and feel better by the end of day.
- Do not eat the hours just before going to bed, avoid caffeine or high-calorie foods before sleep.
- Remove any distractions in the bedroom that could possibly disturb your sleep, this includes technological devices such as televisions, cellphones, or tablets.
- Build a sleep routine according to your lifestyle.
Let’s take advantage of this week to improve our sleeping habits!
