I am a self admitted workaholic. I truly wish that I was not, but I am and it is the way that I have always been. I am the daughter of one, so you might say that I come by it honestly. I manage to function on an average of 5 – 6 hours of sleep. I would love to get 8 hours and there are times that I can actually manage this, but for the most part, my mind never stops and if I am not processing my day job, I am thinking about what I still have to do to help get the weekly menu out with Lyndsay. After that last stage of rapid eye movement (REM) most of us experience a light sleep. It appears that I don’t get to enjoy this last bit of rest. I am quite certain that this stage of sleep is important as I often find myself yawning mid afternoon and completely exhausted by the end of my day.
I think that most of you out there know how a good night’s sleep affects how we perform the next day. Many of you might also recall how it feels to go to bed late and not be able to get up the next day. Well, I cannot manage to get to sleep early and I rarely sleep past 4am each day. In fact on the day that I wrote this, I awoke at 3:30am. It is wonderful to get such an early start since I have a 1 hour and twenty minute drive to get to work each day, but it really doesn’t help when I literally have no energy for much else other than flaking out on the couch at the end of!
Now I know that this has to change or I am going to start to feel very old very quickly; there are some days when I actually feel my 45 years of age, but most days I look in the mirror and tell myself and still 25! When the body is not treated well it starts to feel ‘broken’ and this is when we are susceptible to illness and frankly I don’t want to point my body in this direction. I want to be as healthy as I possibly can for as long as I can. This leads me to the topic I thought we might all want to learn about. How Important is getting a good night’s sleep anyway?
There was a time when it was thought that sleep just meant the body was in shut down mode, but doctors and scientist know so much more today. As vegetarians, this is a horrible topic, but studies have shown that animals when deprived of sleep die. An American Cancer Society survey determined that 6 hours or less per night, or 9 hours and more, showed a higher death rate by 30% among those surveyed, opposed to 7-8 hours of sleep which is considered the norm. Am I headed for an early death??? I can tell you right now I certainly do not want to be the cause of my own!!!
If you are wondering what our bodies do while we sleep. Dummies.com list ‘some ways our bodily performance changes as we’re sleeping’:
- Digestive juices: The amount of acid in our stomachs typically decreases while we sleep, but if we’ve got an ulcer, it increases.
- Hormone production: Two female reproductive hormones (follicle stimulating and luteinizing) are released during sleep. Additionally, growth hormone is released in children and young adults while they sleep.
- Kidney performance: The rate at which our kidneys filter waste slows down while we’re sleeping. This reduction in renal production is why that first morning urine is so concentrated.
These alterations from waking life are slight compared to what happens in our brains, muscles, and circulatory system.
There are many reasons that may cause lack of sleep. I know that stress and anxiety play a big role in my inability to sleep the appropriate 7-8 hours of sleep. For others it may be due to illness, an extreme change in schedule at work. Regardless of the reason, we need to diminish the cause and work on a routine that will allow for better sleeping patterns. When Lyndsay and I were growing up, our parents insisted on strict bedtimes up until Junior High, if I remember correctly. There were times in the summer when the sun was still up and off we would traipse to bed thinking I had terrible parents. I was an early riser and a very alert child. Today as an adult there are times when I am so tired toward the end of my week on my drive home that in the bleating sun, i have to pull over and take a nap to ensure that I am not a hazard to other drivers. So this leads me to the question, what do I need to do to encourage better sleeping habits.
How to sleep better by keeping a regular sleep schedule:
Taken from http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_tips.htm
- Set a regular bedtime. Go to bed at the same time every night. Choose a time when you normally feel tired, so that you don’t toss and turn. Try not to break this routine on weekends when it may be tempting to stay up late. If you want to change your bedtime, help your body adjust by making the change in small daily increments, such as 15 minutes earlier or later each day.
- Wake up at the same time every day. If you’re getting enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without an alarm. If you need an alarm clock to wake up on time, you may need to set an earlier bedtime. As with your bedtime, try to maintain your regular wake–time even on weekends.
- Nap to make up for lost sleep. If you need to make up for a few lost hours, opt for a daytime nap rather than sleeping late. This strategy allows you to pay off your sleep debt without disturbing your natural sleep–wake rhythm, which often backfires in insomnia and throws you off for days.
- Be smart about napping. While taking a nap can be a great way to recharge, especially for older adults, it can make insomnia worse. If insomnia is a problem for you, consider eliminating napping. If you must nap, do it in the early afternoon, and limit it to thirty minutes.
- Fight after–dinner drowsiness. If you find yourself getting sleepy way before your bedtime, get off the couch and do something mildly stimulating to avoid falling asleep, such as washing the dishes, calling a friend, or getting clothes ready for the next day. If you give in to the drowsiness, you may wake up later in the night and have trouble getting back to sleep.
So now, can I apply these simple tips to my routine to ensure that am headed in the right sleep direction or will I fall back into my old patterns? I guest only time will tell.
Thanks for reading,
Laurie & Lyndsay
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