It’s often been said that cousin of sleep is death, and it’s easy to see why. After all, during sleep all of your metabolic processes such as your breathing and your heart beat slow down. Even your body temperature changes! Ironically, there’s a whole lot of living that’s going on and that your body is experiencing while you’re sound asleep. Sleep is the body’s time to go to work repairing itself, which is why it’s so important. Just think, a third of your life is spent sleeping, which means your body is constantly reenergizing and repairing itself! Take for example the fact that the average person will spend roughly 3,000 hours laying down on their mattress each year, according to the National Sleep Foundation. That’s a lot of healing while you’re counting sheep!
Unfortunately, for as important as getting a good night of sleep is, Americans are getting less and less of it nowadays thanks to the hectic, tech-filled lifestyles many people live in today’s modern age.
According to research from the National Sleep Foundation, it’s recommended that adults should sleep at least seven to nine hours a night. However, the average adult American sleeps much less than that. Insomnia has become a growing problem and affects many Americans. For example, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that nearly 50 to 70 million Americans adults suffer from chronic sleep and wakefulness disorders such as insomnia. But is this?
One common and respected theory is that people are using and relying on technological devices such as smart phones, computers, and tablets more than ever before. The near constant use of these devices has been known to interrupt the brain waves that induce sleep and cause you to feel sleepy. Just think of all the times you may have started to fall asleep only to realize you’ve stayed up a lot longer than you wanted to because of a few text messages or a game or two of Candy Crush. These devices can definitely affect the quality of your sleep by preventing your brain from entering the deeper stages of sleep.
However, you’d be surprised to know that there are many consequences to not getting a good night’s sleep. Aside from just feeling tired, not getting a good night sleep on a regular basis can cause your immune system to suffer, leading to an increased risk of illness. In addition, repeatedly not getting a good night of sleep can impact your cognitive ability, making you feel sluggish, fuzzy, or foggy in your mind. You may find it difficult to concentrate. Furthermore, it can affect your mood, leaving you feeling especially irritable, sensitive, and may even increase your risk of depression. As you can, improving the quality of your sleep is key!
Comfort while sleeping is the key to improving the quality of your sleep. After all, it’s necessary how long you sleep, but it’s more so the quality of your sleep during those hours. For examples, it’s far better to get six hours of quality sleep as opposed to eight hours of tossing and turning. A peaceful night of undisturbed sleep can be just what the doctor ordered in terms of improving how you feel!
One of the most important things that can affect the quality of your sleep is bed comfort, so how comfortable is your bed? Having a comfortable, supportive mattress is key to getting a good night of sleep, and therefore maintaining or improving your health. In addition to having a comfortable bed, you may find different sleep positions more comfortable than others, so it’s important to find one that is best for your body’s needs. As previously mentioned, a supportive bed can help with this.
In addition, it’s important to maintain a regular sleep schedule, even on the weekends. This can allow your body to get in the habit of sleeping and waking at the same time each day, which in turn will make it easier for you to fall and stay asleep. Keeping your room comfortably cool can also dramatically improve sleep quality.
