The CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reports that “1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep.” Why does it matter if you’d rather devote hours toward binge-watching Netflix and diving headfirst into the black hole of social media than sleep? An article entitled The Unstoppable Power of a Good Night’s Sleep reports that sleep deprivation leads you to:
- Be “more stressed, creating a higher risk of developing hypertension.”
- Be “more likely to experience weight gain.”
- “Have a higher risk of developing cancer.”
Benefits of Sleep
The before-mentioned article also points out how great sleep, which includes both the right quantity and quality of sleep, benefits you. These benefits include the following:
- “Encourages a healthy microbiome in [your] gut.”
- “Promotes the ideal state for [your] cardiovascular system.”
- “Acts as ‘overnight therapy’– soothing painful memories and inspiring creativity.”
- “Creates a better learning environment for our brain to memorize, remember, and make logical decisions.”
When health is a topic of conversation, it’s typical for fitness and food to roll off the tongue. But what about sleep? You may say, “I don’t have time for sleep.” You may mention children, jobs, finances, and many more things that can contribute to lack of sleep. Ask yourself if you could turn the television off sooner and head to bed earlier. Ask yourself if you go to bed only to then stare at your cell phone screen before surrendering to your exhaustion. Now ask yourself if your mind runs long after your head touches the pillow. What about throughout the night; do you sleep soundly the entire night?
Tips for Better Sleep
Healthline.com offers 17 tips for better sleep, and among those are these three powerhouse ideas:
- Increase bright light exposure during the day
- “In people with insomnia, daytime bright light exposure improved sleep quality and duration. It also reduced the time it took to fall asleep by 83%.”
- “A similar study in older adults found that 2 hours of bright light exposure during the day increased the amount of sleep by 2 hours and sleep efficiency by 80%.”
- Don’t consume caffeine late in the day
- “… when consumed late in the day, caffeine stimulates your nervous system and may stop your body from naturally relaxing at night.”
- “In one study, consuming caffeine up to 6 hours before bed significantly worsened sleep quality.”
- “Caffeine can stay elevated in your blood for 6-8 hours. Therefore, drinking large amounts of coffee after 3-4 p.m. is not recommended, especially if you’re sensitive to caffeine or have trouble sleeping.”
- Relax and clear your mind in the evening
- “Relaxation techniques before bed have been shown to improve sleep quality and are another common technique used to treat insomnia.”
- “Strategies include listening to relaxing music, reading a book, taking a hot bath, meditating, deep breathing, and visualization.”
AminoPower Advanced & Sleep
Healthline and other sources and experts agree that supplements can be key to obtaining quality sleep. Of such supplements, AminoPower Advanced, a blend of 7 vitamins and 23 free-form amino acids– including all essential amino acids, rises to the top of the list.
Sleep affects health, mood, focus, energy, patience, and many other things that affect your day and overall quality of life. Place sleep as a top priority, and you take your self-care game to a whole new level.
Author: Evelyn Lindell
Certified Health & Wellness Coach