“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in a doctor’s book.” – Irish Proverb

Being Irish, I love that quote.  I also love it for March – This month we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and March is National Sleep Month.   

Today, and for the rest of March, our Health Promotion emails will focus on sleep and the benefits from a good night of ZZZ’s. 

 As busy people, we give up our sleep so easily.  How often have you heard someone say, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead?”  They might be getting that opportunity sooner than they think. A recently published study involving 172,321 adults found that men who get enough sleep live 5 years longer than men who don’t. For women, it’s two years.[1]

Just as importantly, there is a growing body of research showing that getting a good night’s sleep improves our effectiveness and productivity. Sleep allows our body and brains to regenerate.

Lack of sleep is linked to not only fatigue but forgetfulness, higher stress levels, a weakened immune system, mental health issues, weight gain, and increased risk of several diseases. 

The average adult gets only 6.7 hours of sleep each night. However, to function at our best, we ideally need 7-9.

Going from 5 or 6 hours to 7 or 8 is not easy, but it is doable.  If you can’t change your wake-up time, start by going to bed 15 minutes earlier for a week.  Then, an additional 15 minutes the following week until you reach your goal.

For some of us, sleep feels elusive. We lay down only to have our mind start racing or we find ourselves staring at the ceiling.  Try these tips:

1.  Have your bedroom be the place you sleep – remove your TV and avoid eating or doing work in your bed. Make the space calming and comforting – a place where you feel at ease and at peace.
2. Turn off all your technology– cell phones, video games, TV. To get the best sleep stop using technology 30 minutes before you go to bed.
3. Avoid a nightcap– contrary to what you might think, having a late night class of wine actually lessens the quality of your sleep.
4. Make your room as dark as possible – put shades on your windows to block out street lights and dim your clock.
5. Get up earlier– by getting up earlier, your body clock stabilizes so you fall asleep easier.
6. Keep a piece of paper by your bed– if you think of something that needs to get done tomorrow or something that is on your mind, write it down. That way you can let it go and go to sleep, knowing that you won’t “forget” it.
7. Workout– getting physical exercise helps. If you can schedule your workout 6 hours or more before you go to bed, then your body has had time to cool down and settle down.
8. Keep to a schedule– try to go to bed and get up about the same time every night. Your body functions better with a routine.
9. Have a hot drink like herbal tea– it helps settles and soothe you and your body.
10. Listen to music– soothing sounds can be a good way to help you doze off.

[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37831896/