Getting the proper amount of sleep will keep you weighing less than those who don’t. One of the reasons is because the longer we are awake the more we will eat, the less energy we will have and the less likely we are to maintain an active lifestyle.
Another reason to get proper sleep is that it will improve your memory function. This is because while we are sleeping, not busy thinking about the pressures of the day, our mind is busy at work “encoding” information and moving things from short to long term memory as well as putting our events into the appropriate categories. Like any computer, our brain needs time to “reboot,” which takes place while we are sleeping. If you want to spend less time making lists to help you remember daily tasks, take the appropriate steps to find the right balance of sleep for you.
If you do get an infection, getting the proper amount of sleep will assist in fighting that infection more quickly. Fever is the body’s way of ridding itself from infection. Fevers run higher at night so during sleep, your body is working hard to heal itself.
Every article I have read regarding proper sleep speaks of sleep’s restorative power in our bodies, which occurs during slow wave sleep (SWS), the early stage of our sleep cycle, and the rapid eye movement (REM) stage, which occurs later in the sleep cycle. SWS is the stage of sleep that helps restore our immune system as well as the regeneration and restoration of tissue, strengthening our bones, and causing us to feel energized in the morning.
REM sleep helps to bring about a better mood at the end of the sleep cycle, which equals a happier you. In other words, REM sleep works on our emotions. Through sleep, we undergo an emotional restoration every night so that we wake up with a clear emotional bill of health every morning.
How do we achieve optimal sleep? We need to get in the habit of sleeping. Much like we get in the habit of exercising, eating our meals, or performing our hygienic routine, we need to find what works best for us. Do a self-check/study. Determine under what types of conditions you get the best sleep, that is 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Look at outside factors such as room climate, activity done just before going to bed, general mood before going to bed, thoughts before drifting to sleep, foods eaten that day, if is it a weeknight or weekend. Use the tables below to identify these conditions the day after a 7 hour uninterrupted sleep, the day after a shorter (less than 7 hours) uninterrupted sleep, and the day after interrupted sleep.
7-8 HOURS UNINTERRUPTED SLEEP
- What time did you fall asleep? What time did you wake up? How did you feel the next day?
- What day was it? Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
- What was the climate in the room? Air Condition On, Air Condition Off, Heat On, Heat Off, Window Open, Window Closed, Other
- What pre-bedtime activity did you do?
- Were you on the Computer/Internet? If on, what type of activity were you doing?
- Did you listen to music? If yes, what were you listening to?
- Did you watch TV? If yes, what were you watching?
- What was your mood? Calm, Happy, Peaceful, Pensive, Reflective, Satisfied, Other
- What were your last thoughts before sleep?
- List the foods you ate that day for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snack
- List the drinks you drank that day for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snack
- What type of cardiovascular activity did you do that day? Biking, Jumping Rope, Kickboxing, Running, Swimming, Walking, Other
SHORT NIGHT UNINTERRUPTED SLEEP
- How many hours? How did you feel the next day?
- What day was it? Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
- What was the climate in the room? Air Condition On, Air Condition Off, Heat On, Heat Off, Window Open, Window Closed, Other
- What pre-bedtime activity did you do?
- Were you on the Computer/Internet? If on, what type of activity were you doing?
- Did you listen to music? If yes, what were you listening to?
- Did you watch TV? If yes, what were you watching?
- What was your mood? Calm, Happy, Peaceful, Pensive, Reflective, Satisfied, Other
- What were your last thoughts before sleep?
- List the foods you ate that day for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snack
- List the drinks you drank that day for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snack
- What type of cardiovascular activity did you do that day? Biking, Jumping Rope, Kickboxing, Running, Swimming, Walking, Other
INTERRUPTED SLEEP
- What caused the interruption? How did you feel the next day?
- What day was it? Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
- What was the climate in the room? Air Condition On, Air Condition Off, Heat On, Heat Off, Window Open, Window Closed, Other
- What pre-bedtime activity did you do?
- Were you on the Computer/Internet? If on, what type of activity were you doing?
- Did you listen to music? If yes, what were you listening to?
- Did you watch TV? If yes, what were you watching?
- What was your mood? Calm, Happy, Peaceful, Pensive, Reflective, Satisfied, Other
- What were your last thoughts before sleep?
- List the foods you ate that day for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snack
- List the drinks you drank that day for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snack
- What type of cardiovascular activity did you do that day? Biking, Jumping Rope, Kickboxing, Running, Swimming, Walking, Other
Notice how you feel the day after upon waking up. Pay close attention to how your mood goes throughout the day, how much energy you have during the day, if your ability to focus on job related tasks and responsibilities is improved or decreased, as well as the overall effect the previous night’s sleep has on your day.
Once you have gathered all the data, make it a point to stick to the things you did when you got the best sleep, the uninterrupted sleep. Once you start doing that, you will be setting the stage to get more better nights of sleep and you will definitely see that an uninterrupted 7 hours of sleep will keep your body and mind in good working order. I guess there is truth to the old adage, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, and wealthy, and wise.”
Jannette is an administrator for the Edison Township Board of Education. After undergoing surgery, Jannette suffered from gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). Doctors prescribed medication but Jannette did not want to become dependent on such. She decided to start eating foods to assist in healing. Through this process, she discovered running, biking, eating right, and the use of natural products to assist in aging gracefully. Now, she runs, bikes, and swims with her 15 year old daughter and manages to outlast her on occasion. She is passionate about helping others do the same.
Main Photo Credit: Valery Sidelnykov/shutterstock.com; Second Photo Credit: wavebreakmedia/shutterstock.com; Third Photo Credit: photographee.eu/shutterstock.com
