Sleep can sometimes feel like self-care
that can wait or a reward you need to earn. However, the opposite is true. When
it comes to your health, sleep is just as important as physical activity and
nutrition.
While you sleep, your body is busy healing and repairing
itself, learning and actively preventing chronic diseases. For most adults,
getting healthy sleep means sleeping for at least 7 hours each night without
waking up frequently, going to bed and waking up at roughly the same times each
day and waking up feeling refreshed. Healthy sleep helps the body boost
immunity, manage weight, reduce stress and lower the risk of chronic diseases
such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
“We know chronic insufficient sleep can have a detrimental
impact on personal health and increase the risk of many diseases,” said
Jennifer L. Martin, a licensed clinical psychologist and professor of medicine
at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “Healthy sleep is also
important for mood regulation and mental health, helping to reduce the risk of
problems such as anxiety and depression.”
READ MORE: Self-care tips to do before bedtime
However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, about 1 in 3 adults in the United States report getting less than 7
hours of sleep per night. Your daily routine – what you eat and drink, the
medications you take, how you schedule your days and how you spend your
evenings – can significantly impact the quality and duration of your sleep.
These tips from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s “Sleep Is Good Medicine” campaign – which aims to emphasize sleep as a key pillar
of health, equivalent with nutrition and exercise – can help you create a
healthy sleep routine to improve your health today and in the long run.
- Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the
same time every day, even on weekends and during vacations.
- Set a bedtime early enough to get at least 7
hours of sleep each night.
- Use your bed only for sleep and sex, or when you
are sick. Watch TV and work outside the bedroom.
- Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing. Keep the
room at a comfortable, cool temperature.
- Reduce fluid intake before bedtime.
- Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes
before bedtime.
- Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime. If you
are hungry at night, eat a light, healthy snack.
- Avoid drinking caffeine in the afternoon or
evening.
- If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get
out of bed. Do a quiet activity without a lot of light.
- Avoid alcohol before bedtime.
- Keep a sleep diary. Over a two-week period,
track when you go to bed each day, wake during the night and wake in the
morning. Also track when you exercise, nap, take medication or have caffeine or
alcohol.
Even if you don’t think you have a sleep problem, talk to
your doctor about your sleep and share your sleep diary. Together, you can
figure out what healthy sleep looks like for you and how to get it. This can help
prevent sleep difficulties before they become harder to treat.
Learn more about the role sleep plays in your health and
find more tips to help improve your sleep habits at sleepisgoodmedicine.com.
(Family Features)
Photos courtesy of Getty Images
Other articles by HVP News Reporters