Sleep Your Way to the Top
How often do you hear people bragging about pulling all-nighters or saying things like, “I only need 5 hours of sleep a night,” or “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”?
Here’s a fact, your body needs sleep. Did you know that driving while sleep-deprived can be just as bad as driving while intoxicated?
There are so many benefits to sleep, but I’m just going to give you five of them.
You Will Look Better
Isn’t that enough of a reason to get 7-9 hours of sleep, on average? Who wants to walk around with big puffy circles under their eyes every day?
Sleep has a Major Impact on Weight Loss and Maintenance
Sleep deprivation impacts two hormones in our bodies: ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin tells your body when to eat. If you don’t get enough sleep, this hormone increases. Leptin tells you when to stop eating. If you don’t get enough sleep, leptin levels go down!
So, if you’re running on 3 hours of sleep, you’ve got ghrelin telling you it’s time to eat all day, and leptin is slacking off, so you’re eating way too much. When your body doesn’t get enough sleep, it tries to get you to eat, eat, eat! Getting enough sleep will help you eat the right amount of food. And eating the right types and amounts of food can also help you sleep better at night.
You Will Think More Clearly
When you’re tired, your brain cannot function as well. If you’re not a morning person and you force yourself to take morning classes, you’ll sure feel it. Or, if you’re tired in the afternoon and trying to think, it doesn’t work as well.
You’re More Pleasant to Be Around
Quite frankly, you’re much more pleasant to be around when you’re well-rested. If you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll be tired, cranky, and irritable.
Life Sucks When You’re Tired
There will be days when you’re more tired than usual, but you don’t want “tired” to be your average pace through life.
If you are having trouble sleeping, here are five tips to help you sleep better tonight:
Try a calming activity like meditation or deep breathing before bed. It will clear your head and calm down your whole system.
Stop drinking caffeine after Noon. Caffeine blocks your “sleep receptors” and keeps your brain active all night long, so kick that afternoon coffee habit to sleep peacefully.
Turn off the electronics an hour before bedtime. It’s hard to get sleep if you’re shining light in your eyes (which signals your body that it’s daytime). Plus, late-night videos and text messages can rev up your system.
Keep your room cool and dark. The optimal sleep temperature is between 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit or 15-20 degrees Celcius. A dark room will keep your circadian rhythm in check.
Buy the best bed you can afford. A good mattress and pillow can make all the difference!