Sleep Influences your day more than you think

Sleep. We all know it is important to get enough. Yet, do we really know how much sleep influences our day-to-day? When it comes to research, lack of sleep is the underlying cause of most of our health problems.

Studies have shown that mental health, physical fitness, and eating habits are all shown to be influenced by sleep. This is why even though you may feel you are doing everything right, your decision making could be affected by lack of or quality of sleep. 

Mental Health: 

​The national sleep foundation conducted a study that discovered mental health can be associated with sleep. A night of sleep that lasts less than 7 hours can lead to psychiatric disorders such as anxiety. According to the Mayo Clinic, sleep deprivation can also result in a cranky mood and/or poor concentration. 

More on Sleep & Mental Health

Physical Fitness: 
 
Do you feel as if you do everything right when it comes to your fitness goals, yet you can never see results? Studies have proven the correlation between sleep and motivation during exercise. The more hours you sleep during the night, the higher the motivation level you have to work out. Therefore, the longer you sleep, the harder you will exercise. This can also be seen when reversed. The more you exercise, the easier you will sleep throughout the night. Even small amounts of exercise have led to improved sleep. Another sleep study discovered that if you make time to stand more during the day, you will notice improved sleep quality.

More On Sleep & Physical Fitness

Eating Habits: 

Like you probably guessed, eating habits are intertwined with sleep quality and quantity. Lack of sleep/poor quality of sleep can result in increased appetite and excess food intake. So even if you are committed to your eating habits, you could be setting yourself up for failure due to the amount/quality of sleep you are getting. 

More On Sleep & Eating Habits

It is safe to say that sleep is extremely important for everyone. If you are interested in achieving or maintaining health and wellness, you must recognize sleep as a main component. Having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep? Here are three techniques to try before bedtime that will assist in your quality of sleep. 
​
​Breathing Techniques: 

​Nightly deep breathing techniques have been proven to increase one’s quality of sleep. These techniques will help slow your mind and naturally calm the nervous system. Do these breathing exercises when you are already in bed. If you need to get up from your bed, it will wake your system back up. 

Sleep & Breathing Techniques

Restorative Yoga Poses: 

These calming yoga poses will combat stress and an overactive brain. This specific Livestrong article on yoga poses claims that these five poses will prevent insomnia and promote peaceful dreams. 

Sleep & Restorative Yoga

​Turning Off the Screen: 

This is easier said than done. However, turning off electronic devices and the television an hour before bedtime aids in a higher quality of sleep. Television and electronic devices (iPhones, iPads, etc.) produce a type of light called blue light. Harvard Medical School states that looking at this blue light, especially at night, disrupts the secretion of melatonin in our bodies and shifts our circadian rhythms. This could be a huge reason why we can’t get to sleep or even stay asleep for long periods of time. Also think about staying away from screens when you first wake up. This could have a negative effect on you as well. 

Sleep & Screen Time

​Happy Sleeping!