According to a study conducted by The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2012, thirty percent of Americans are sleep deprived. That’s one in 3 adults are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis. Adequate sleep is an integral part of an individual’s overall being. It is during sleep that our body metabolizes, regenerates, and replenishes whatever needs to be replenished and the lack thereof affects our performance whether it’s in our job or family.
Have you ever observed yourself when you don’t have enough sleep? You’re unmotivated, uninspired, and non-energetic. It’s just not a good feeling overall. Personally, I am often easily irritated when I didn’t sleep well the night before. Sadly, this sleep deprivation epidemic is what a third of Americans suffer from on a daily basis.
Erratic work schedule, stress, hyper active mind, lack of self-discipline or other underlying health issues could be any of the reasons why someone is lacking sleep.
And if you think that sleep is overrated, think again. There are a number of reasons why you should be striving to get more sleep and they are:
- A good adequate sleep can help with your overall performance and productivity at your job.
- A good adequate sleep can help boost your metabolism.
- A good adequate sleep can help reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke.
- A good adequate sleep can prevents Type 2 diabetes. Some studies link sleep to affecting blood sugar.
- A good adequate sleep can help boost your immune system.
- A good adequate sleep can improve your social/relational interactions.
This photo was taken in one of our guest bedrooms leading to a “retreat area” thus you see the bed too close to the door.
That being said, here are some tips to help you get that much needed sleep you deserve: *
- Develop a routine and stick to it.
A lot of times lack of sleep is due to our own lack of self-discipline. Sometimes, you may go to bed at 2 or 3 in the morning watching TV or scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed, when you know you’d have to wake up 3 or 4 hours later. Cut all the senseless and unnecessary night time activities and turn off the lights at a certain time you know you can get a good 8 hour sleep.If you already have a certain routine and you still don’t get enough sleep, it may be that your routine isn’t really working and you may need to change it up a little bit. Know your body. Listen to it and try to figure out what works and what doesn’t. - Calm your mind.
Our job/career, business, marriage, family, or relationships can demand so much from us on a daily basis. I don’t know about you but sometimes, there is a sense of so much coming at me at once and it can be pretty overwhelming. Our brains work all day to help us in accomplishing our tasks and it does need time to cool down a little bit. When it doesn’t and we fall asleep, chances are we get awaken in the middle of the night, one, two, or even three times, with the same thoughts that we took with us when we fell asleep. So no matter how tired you are at night, it helps to spend, even for just 5 minutes to “think no thoughts” and just relax deliberately while letting your mind slip away to lala land.
a. Some meditation music (search 528 hz music on YouTube) may help relax your mind.
b. Drink some relaxing herbal tea such as chamomile. It’s been proven to be a good sleeping aid. - Put your cell phone away.
This goes back to self-discipline. If you know that you’re going to be scrolling endlessly reading your Facebook friends’ status updates or watching videos that they’ve shared or posted, then put your phone away from within your reach. It’s for your own benefit. Besides, according to a recent study, use of smart phones around the time you’re supposed to be going to bed was associated to longer time to fall asleep and worst sleep quality during the night. Some studies also associate risk of cancer due to the cell phone radiation while sleeping next to it. - Turn the TV off.
According to the National Sleep Foundation:
“Exposure to light stimulates a nerve pathway from the eye to parts of the brain that control hormones, body temperature and other functions that play a role in making us feel sleepy or wide-awake.Too much light, right before bedtime may prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep. In fact, one study recently found that exposure to unnatural light cycles may have real consequences for our health including increased risk for depression. Regulating exposure to light is an effective way to keep circadian rhythms in check.”I know a couple of people who like to sleep with the TV on but this is actually not a good thing. If you have this habit of sleeping while the TV is on and you’re getting sleep-deprived, it might be time to change this habit. - Check your mattress and pillows.
It’s a no brainer that our mattress and pillows directly affect the quality of sleep that we get. A poor mattress can cause back, neck and shoulder pains. Your mattress needs to be able to provide a good support that ensures proper alignment of your spine and allow your body weight to be distributed well across your frame and sleeping surface. If your mattress is several years old and its misshapen, it’s time to shop for a new one. Think of your mattress as an investment. Think of a mattress as an investment because it really is. You wouldn’t hesitate to invest on a good functional car to take you to your job on a daily basis, right? Think the same for a mattress. A good mattress will give you the good night sleep that you so need and deserve while keeping your muscles and spine healthy everyday.
What’s a good mattress anyways?
According to Robert Oexman D.C., Director of the Sleep to Live Institute, the phrase “good mattress” is subjective. A good mattress is what actually feels good for you. But it is recommended that you get one that is medium firm memory foam, latex or coil spring. And this is where Leesa Mattress comes in.
Designed and manufactured in the US, Leesa Mattress is a combination of a 2′ Cooling Avena Foam Top Layer, 2″ Contouring Memory Foam Layer and a 6″ Core Support Foam Base to ensure good core support and contouring pressure relief for a good night sleep.
For as low as $940, you get the most bang for your buck out of Leesa Mattress. It also comes with a 10 year limited warranty. It’s got 10,000+ 5 Star reviews and you can try it for 100 nights and love it or return it for a full refund.
For our guest bedrooms, we got the Sapira Mattress which is an upgrade from the Leesa Mattress. We wanted to ensure that our guests will get the same good night sleep like we do while away from their home. The Sapira Mattress by Leesa is a combination of memory foam and coil springs to ensure an unparalleled core support.
Hope these 5 tips help you get a better sleep from this point on. If you think it’s time to shop for a new mattress, check out Leesa Mattress. The Leesa Team was so generous to give you my readers an additional $100 off your purchase of Leesa Mattress by using this link.
By the way, if you’d like to try Leesa Mattress for yourself before purchasing it, you can now go to a local Pottery Barn branch to check it out!
*This is does not constitute medical advice. Please see your doctor if you suspect an underlying health issue for your lack of sleep.
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Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Leesa Mattress. The opinions expressed herein are mine and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Leesa Mattress. Thank you for supporting LynneGabriel.com sponsors. They make my blog possible!
Nice Article
These 5 tips are actually great and would be a big help for you to be refreshed and be productive.