How To Sleep Better - 5 Easy Tricks
Sleep is for the weak, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, the “work until you can’t, be productive and do all the things, all work no play” mentality of the 21st century should have literally been put to sleep a long time ago and we are here to tell you why. Sleep goes way beyond getting rid of your eye bags or giving you that morning energy you need, in fact, many people are not aware of its health benefits. Yes, it is vital to your energy, but it is also extremely vital to your body and mind, providing an array of physical and mental benefits.
Physical Health Benefits of Sleep
It is not uncommon to neglect our physical health when we have jam-packed schedules ranging from work to cooking dinner with the family to staying up late to watch the newest Netflix series. However, physical health is not just about being active and exercising. Physical health also means getting the proper rest your body needs. Many studies have been done about the relation to weight because let’s be honest, most people are more concerned with their weight than their sleep!
The surprising news is that lack of sleep can increase the risk of obesity. Ghrelin is known as the hunger hormone in our bodies, or essentially the hormone that tells our brain when we are hungry. Studies have shown that lower levels of sleep increase our ghrelin, telling us that we are hungrier than we are, leading us to mindlessly snack and binge eat. Therefore, managing our sleep can indirectly help us maintain a healthy weight. Another interesting correlation that scientists have discovered is that lower levels of sleep weakens our immune systems. So, the less sleep you are getting, the more likely you are to get sick. Also, sleep affects cholesterol levels, which play a significant role in heart disease. Isn’t it insane that one of the easiest things we can do can help benefit our heart and help us live longer?! To put it simply, sleep can save your life!
Mental Benefits Of Sleep
While the physical benefits of sleep are now clear, we cannot neglect the mental benefits as well. Sleep reduces levels of stress and with that people can have better control of their blood pressure. We all have enough stress to deal with on the daily and being in control of our sleep should be the easiest thing we do to control that! Sleep has been proven to improve levels of productivity and memory, so if you are constantly feeling sluggish throughout the day or like you can’t focus, you might want to reassess whether or not you’re getting 6-8 hours of sleep each night. Better sleep is not only linked to decreasing inflammation in your body, but also in your brain. Sleep is beneficial for everyone and a properly functioning mind and body can help you in ways you can’t imagine! An example of this is a study ran by Stanford University which found that college football players who tried to sleep for at least 10 hours a night for seven to eight weeks improved their average sprint time and had less daytime fatigue and more stamina. The bottom line is, brain function is vital and if you aren’t getting enough sleep your brain does not have the ability or time to rejuvenate properly.
We know that getting a good night’s sleep is often easier said than done, and for this reason we wanted to include some health tips that can get you on the road to better sleep patterns:
5 Tips For Better Sleep
Try to drink a relaxing or “sleepy time” tea two hours before bed, tea naturally relaxes your body and mind!
We know staying away from your phone and turning it off is a lost cause at this point, however we do recommend switching your phone to night mode to avoid the negative effects of blue rays!
Avoid heavy/large meals within a couple of hours of your bedtime, being too full can prevent your digestive system from being at ease, which can be the real culprit of why you are constantly tossing and turning.
Spend at least 30 minutes exercising a day. This doesn’t have to be intense exercise; it can even be a walk! The more tired your body is, the quicker you will fall asleep and stay asleep.
Avoid having caffeine in the afternoon. Simply put, caffeine keeps you awake, that’s why we drink it, right? It can stay in your body longer than you might think. However, if you are getting the proper amount of sleep, you are less likely to feel that afternoon crash and need a coffee anyway. Trust us!
Adequate sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle and can benefit your heart, weight, and mind. Many people are led to believe that sleep is not necessary and that being productive from early in the morning to late at night is. We hope that we have shifted your mindset on this, at least a little bit! Implement some of our tips for getting a better night’s sleep, and don’t worry, you can thank us later.