When it comes to a healthy and active lifestyle, I always recommend starting with sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, then no amount of superfoods and super workouts will help. Everything will be in vain. Come to terms with the fact that a person just needs 7-8 hours of proper sleep a day. Sleep is not a luxury, but the foundation of your health. And if it seems to you that sleep takes up time, then remember: you compensate for this by the fact that you will cope with the rest of the affairs much faster and more efficiently. In this digest, I have collected all the most necessary information about why we need to get enough sleep, how sleep deprivation threatens and how to fall asleep with a sound, healthy sleep.
Why do we need to get enough sleep?
- Lack of sleep weakens the immune system. If you don’t get enough sleep, you are more at risk of getting sick.
- Health professionals cite poor sleep as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, along with smoking, physical inactivity and an unhealthy diet. For more information on the study that found that sleep deprivation can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, read here.
- To preserve youth, make the right decisions, give up junk food: these and several other reasons to get enough sleep.
- Driving fatigue is just as dangerous as drunk driving. So, 18 hours of wakefulness in a row lead to a state comparable to alcohol intoxication. Here are some more facts about how lack of sleep increases the risk of getting into a car accident.
- Even a short nap can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack in people with hypertension.
Of course, in the modern rhythm of life, a midday nap may seem like a strange decision. But more companies and colleges, including Google, Procter & Gamble, Facebook and the University of Michigan, are providing their employees with sleeping couches and lounges. This trend is also supported by the founder of the Huffington Post media empire, mother of two and simply beautiful woman Arianna Huffington.
How to sleep and sleep?
According to Arianna Huffington, the key to her success is a healthy sleep. To get enough sleep, she, in particular, recommends coming up with your own evening ritual, which will signal the body every time that it is time to rest. You can take a relaxing lavender bath or long shower, read a paper book or light candles, play relaxing music or pink noise. For tips from the founder of the Huffington Post on how to make sleep a full part of your life, read here.
- Here are some universal tips for those looking to get some sleep.
- Why do you need to stick to a sleep routine? Why you shouldn’t use electronic gadgets at night. Read about these and other nuances of healthy sleep here.
- For better sleep, you need to fall asleep on the same day you woke up. Here are some reasons to go to bed before midnight.
- About what “pink noise” is and why it will help you fall asleep and get enough sleep.
- Reading before bed can help fight insomnia. Only use paper or e-ink readers that do not emit blue light from the screen.
How to wake up and cheer up after sleep?
Experts recommend not using the snooze alarm button: this will not help you get enough sleep, as you interrupt REM sleep and thereby reduce its quality. Set an alarm for the time when you really need to get up.
- Here are four ways to cheer yourself up in the morning without coffee.