Beauty sleep… never thought I needed it, until I did!! Have you ever told yourself, I can do this without sleeping!? “I can run off of 5 hours of sleep everyday!” Ever notice if your body and mental mindset just starts to slow down, maybe you feel tired, or congested, feel like you’re about to catch a cold? Have you ever wondered why?
The body is a great machine that will get what it wants, if your body needs sleep, no matter how many all-nighters you try to pull your body will crash. In February of 2019 I tried to convince myself all I needed was 5 hours of sleep. Dental was catching up, with some long nights in the library and some early mornings at the clinic, I was having a hard time keeping up. For a week I felt a sore throat come on, and each day I kept pushing myself, and each day it kept getting worse. No matter how much tea or water I drank it still wasn’t enough. I was getting frustrated that I wasn’t getting better, and I was even losing motivation to eat healthy, get the exercise in, to try and help myself. My mood was changing. My body needed sleep. Another week went by and I found myself in the Health Center, being told I had a mono outbreak. Self-inflicted mono? How could that be?? I had it in 2018 and thought I could never get it again!! Boy was I wrong! My body said “you don’t want to treat this sore throat by getting enough sleep? Here’s something worse!” For two weeks straight I slept and missed some class time, and boy that that not fun! I since have learned my lesson and have found out why getting those recommended 8 hours of sleep is so important!
Why do we need those 8 hours of sleep, you may ask; and here are some reasons why:
- Mood Boost / Reduce Stress- Chronic lack of sleep can also raise the chance of having a mood disorder.
- Healthier Heart - While you sleep, your blood pressure goes down, giving your heart and blood vessels a bit of a rest.
- Weight Control – Poor sleep dramatically alters the way the body responds to food, the more sleep you get the more your body is able to control and balance the hormones that fight the urge to eat at unhealthy times
- You will be happier! – Trust me!
Tips to help you wind down at night:
- Set a bedtime routine and stick with it!
- Don’t eat when the sun's not up! – Give your body time to digest all the nutrients you gave it during the day!
- Have a nice warm cup of tea and do a facemask to relax
- Don’t look at screens for 30 minutes before you go to bed
For some, like me, it takes learning the hard way for things to stick, before you find yourself at the Doctors, or at the nurses office, take this advice and get that extra hour of sleep in… and do it every night! When I really took charge of my sleep schedule, I noticed I was less bloated in the morning, lost a few lbs without even trying, and was the happiest I have ever been, from the inside out!
“I don’t have enough time to sleep 8 hours” and our team don’t have time for excuses!! Just do it!!
Source:
https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/topics/everyday-healthy-living/mental-health-and-relationships/get-enough-sleep
By Sarah P., Team Member of GFWD
