Why sleep is such an important part of your healthy lifestyle.
When we talk about being healthy and living a healthy lifestyle, we automatically think of your diet and exercise. We rarely take sleep into consideration. In fact, when you have a lot to do, sleep is one of the first things to be sacrificed. Well for some it is – I am a typical 8 hours a night girl and love my sleep !
Getting enough sleep is essential in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It is also key when trying to lose weight, increase your positivity and improve your productivity. Therefore, when embarking on the new, healthy you, sleep should be up there in your “must do’s”. My members have a master task list and sleep is one of the top tasks because it is so important when establishing those lifetime healthy habits.
A good night’s sleep will ;
Improve your concentration and productivity – so it really does set you up for a great day which then sets you up for another good nights sleep …...
Improve your problem-solving skills and creativity – resulting in less moments of hopelessness and comments of “Oh I don’t know !”.
Help build up your immune system – fewer colds, coughs and infections (always good).
Increase your physical performance levels – go smash that workout / run / swim / cycle.
Improves your memory – think of that brain fog that descends when you are tired.
Not enough sleep will ;
Increase your appetite and bad food choices leading to weight gain (due to the way it affects our hunger hormones).
Decrease your self-control – leading you to grab that doughnut, make rash decisions.
Increase the length of time available to eat in – late night snacking to keep you going.
Possibly cause muscle loss which in turn lowers your metabolism.
Result in you feeling less motivated and having less stamina – decreasing productivity, progress and improvement.
Reduce your inclination to undertake physical activity – never a good thing.
Increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
Increase the risk of depression.
Not great is it ?!
So how much is enough ?
NHS recommends on average 8 hours per night, however we are all different so generally between 7 and 9 is advisable.
Naps are also recommended as a natural way to revive your energy levels as opposed to caffeine (which will affect your night time sleep). As a general guide short naps (5 – 10 mins) are great for boosting energy (I love a power nap!). If you can, between 1pm and 3pm is the optimal time for a nap (yes I know I am lucky to work for myself and be able to do this !) but I do often power nap later if I get the urge and the time. A Stage 2 nap (20 minutes) is great for enhancing your attention span and your physical motor skills. A REM sleep (60-90 minutes) is great if you have time ! It helps your creativity and problem-solving skills.
How Can I Improve My Sleep ?
Try to stick, as closely as possible, to regular bed times and wake up times. I know a weekend lie in sounds wonderful and feels so cosy but it does not help maintain an optimal sleep pattern. I personally love getting up early when I do not have to – I get everything done so quickly and then can really relax and enjoy my afternoon.
Make sure that your bedroom is used for sleeping and nocturnal activities (!) only. Using your bedroom to work in, eat in, watch TV in does not help you switch off when it is time to go to sleep.
Set yourself up with an evening routine that helps you to wind down before bed time. Such as ; reading, having a bath, relaxation techniques, listening to soft music. And if you are someone whose mind runs at 100mph an hour with all of your to do’s have a go at writing down all of your to do’s for the next day during the evening – this moves them from out of your mind (where you are trying to remember them) and enables you to switch off better when it’s time for bed.
Create a good sleeping environment – temperature (not too cold or hot), lighting, a comfy bed that you love getting into, good pillows and lovely bed linen, an uncluttered space all help you get those zzzz’s.
And finally – live a healthy lifestyle !
A good night’s sleep enables you to make healthy food choices, take part in regular exercise and maintain a positive, can do attitude.
A healthy diet provides you with the energy to exercise regularly, helps you to sleep well and reduces feelings of lethargy and negativity.
Regular exercise helps boost positivity, builds a healthy appetite and wears you out so that you fall asleep quickly and effortlessly
Sleep, diet, exercise and a positive attitude all work together beautifully, resulting in an energetic, lively, light, fresh you that takes action and makes it happen !
For help and guidance relating to sleep, do have a look at the NHS recommended website : https://www.sleepstation.org.uk/articles/
For help and guidance relating to establishing healthy habits and living a healthy lifestyle, please have a think about joining my online healthy lifestyle membership club.
Sleep well !
Lisa x
References : www.nhs.uk, www.mentalhealth.org.uk, www.healthline.com, www.sleep.org.
Picture by Jordan Whitt (@jwwhitt) / Unsplash.com