Eights hours, five hours, or three hours…how much sleep are you getting at night?
When you sleep, are you truly resting? Many of us may not understand how important sleep is when it comes to our health, when it comes to our everyday living, and when it comes to our decisions and behaviors.
Lack of sleep puts us at an increased risk of preventable health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke while also hindering our ability to focus, to think clearly, and to make wise decisions.
“Why is this lady writing about sleep?” I’m sure someone is wondering. March 15th, is recognized as World Sleep Day (WSD). I didn’t know that there was such a thing either, but…here we are. WSD is “intended to be a celebration of sleep and a call to action on important issues related to sleep, including medicine, education, social aspects, and driving.
“It is organized by the World Sleep Day Committee of World Sleep Society and aims to lessen the burden of sleep problems on society through better prevention and management of sleep disorders” (https://worldsleepsociety.org/world-sleep-day/). Since 2008, WSD has garnered global attention; media and celebrities from around the world have shown their support of this day.
We often hear of physical health, mental health, and sometimes social and emotional health, but how often do we hear of sleep health?
How many hours we sleep is just as imperative to our well-being as proper eating and positively dealing with trauma.
Seven to eight hours of sleep has been the recommended number for adults for as long as I can remember; if I am honest, I don’t get that amount of sleep most nights…maybe six hours.
Let’s start paying attention to our sleep habits, learn what keeps us from getting a good night’s sleep, and make needed changes in our routine to ensure we are sleeping properly. Our lives really do depend on it.
