The Most Important Aspect of YOUR Day!
You like Free? I do as well, better yet if it is a benefit. There is an aspect of your day that provides you the most benefit and it’s FREE! As one the three key investments that I spoke about on the previous blog post (9/10/20), it should be obvious by now. The most important & beneficial aspect of your day is sleep! It is the only time your body truly heals from the day’s trauma and stressors.
Well if sleep is important – how many people are getting enough sleep? Over a third, 35.2%, of the American population does not get enough sleep. If you sleep less than 7 hours per 24 hour period, you are considered a short-sleeper. How important is sleep? The research states that if you are a chronic short-sleeper, you are significantly more likely to have these 10 physical ailments:
✔︎ Heart Attack
✔︎ Coronary heart disease
✔︎ Stroke
✔︎ Asthma
✔︎ COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
✔︎ Cancer
✔︎ Arthritis
✔︎ Depression
✔︎ Chronic kidney disease
✔︎ Diabetes
Those ailments are not only costly, but are not a short-term inconvenience or event, they most likely will be chronic. With sleep being free – there is NOT much of an argument for not getting the adequate amount of sleep. If I can’t sleep now, I will sleep in during the weekend or fill in the blank. Most people think you can catch up on lost sleep by sleeping longer another day but this is false. There is plenty of research to confirm this incorrect belief. Sleep, just like most important things in our life takes planning, discipline, and proper execution. Just Do It!
It has been reported that Four out of Five individuals suffer from sleep problems at least once a week. Well, if 80% of people have issues with falling asleep, remaining asleep, and/or getting enough time to sleep, no wonder many of us are sleep deprived. To make your sleep a positive experience and a successful recovery for your body, research has shown one needs to do the following:
✔︎ Develop a consistent bedtime routine
✔︎ Go to bed at the same time each night
✔︎ Avoid caffeine after 2 p.m.
✔︎ Don’t drink alcohol within three hours of bedtime
✔︎ Restrict your power nap of no longer than 20 minutes during the day, if needed
✔︎ Avoid surfing the Web or watching television immediately before bed.
✔︎ Correct sleep surroundings
Most of these are common knowledge but few people actually follow them. Having the correct sleep surroundings are key. Remove the television, telephone, and any other devices from the bedroom which reinforces the idea that this room is meant for sleeping. An ideal environment is quiet, dark, and relatively cool, with a comfortable bed and minimal clutter. This is so important, that one of the most successful Tour de France cycling teams creates this for its’ cyclists every day in different hotels. If it makes that much of a difference in a 30 day cycling event, imagine what it would do for you over…a few months? a year? a lifetime?!
Sleep is Free. Sleep is essential. Sleep is a performance aid. Don’t be a short-sleeper! Carpe Noctem – Seize the Night! Helpful hints are listed above to assist you with your sleep. Implement them and you will not only be healing and recovering from the previous day’s stressors – but setting yourself for a successful future. You may just become more healthy, wealthy, and wise! Until we chat again…
Be & Stay Well!
Sasha
Ps: If you desire to learn more, contact us – we are here for you!
