I think most of you would agree… sleep is awesome.  For me, it’s right behind eating as one of the best things in life.  Is there any greater feeling than waking up feeling totally refreshed, like you’re ready to face the day?

Unfortunately, waking up feeling like I’ve had enough sleep is not a daily experience for me.

I know what you might be thinking… “of course you don’t feel that way every day, no one does.”  Exactly.  And that’s the problem.

According to a Women’s Health article, two thirds of women have a hard time sleeping at night a few nights a week.  Sound familiar?  Not only does this lead to grumpy mornings, but according to the article, there are more serious consequences of rotten sleep patterns:

The resulting bloodshot eyes and Starbucks addiction are annoying enough, but more and more evidence links a lack of sleep to health problems like extra pounds, depression, and even cancer. Worse, when it comes to sleep, women get an especially raw deal. A recent Duke University study found that women who had trouble drifting off more than twice a week or who took longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep had a higher risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease than men who couldn’t sleep.

I think I’ve heard the 7-to-8-hours-a-night sleep rule more times than I can count – and I think there’s a lot to be said for following the suggestion.  I need a solid eight hours to feel rested the following day.  The better I sleep, the better I work, the more energy I have, the more focused I feel.  Honestly, it’s easier to be healthy when I feel rested.

And I would definitely say when my sleep starts to suffer, my chances for getting a cold increase by about one billion (… or something like that).

Nap time

Here’s a study to consider: researchers measured the relationship between sleep and well-being. 

Healthy college students with no consistent sleep complaints completed a 7-day sleep log and battery of surveys related to health and well-being at 3 separate times during the 3 months. Measures of health and well-being were more strongly related to the quality than to the quantity of sleep.

I think that defends the cat nap better than anything else!  If you’re exhausted during the day because you haven’t had enough sleep the night before, why not take a nap?  A twenty minute snooze can give you a second wind after work or on a Saturday afternoon. 

If you’re not a napper – it baffles me that some people can’t nap, or hate doing it! – then try to get to bed fifteen minutes earlier one night.  The following night, try twenty minutes earlier, and so on, until you work up the amount you need to feel rested the next morning.  For you, that might be 6 hours.  For someone else, it could be nine.  We’re all different.  I’ve tried this fifteen minute trick before and it worked great for getting more sleep gradually.

Mind over Matter, Matter over Mind

Maybe you can get to bed at a decent time, but struggle with falling asleep.  Ew, been there, done that.  It’s awful lying in bed when your body is tired but your mind won’t shut off.  You might want to try:

• reading before bed: this can help you relax, especially if you’re reading something boring
• a bubble bath or a hot shower: a shower before I go to sleep knocks me out every time… yummy shower stuff that smells like lavender can help you wind down, too!
• using a sleeping mask: I have a couple friends who can’t sleep unless the room is pitch black – it might help your mind to be at ease if you can associate total darkness with la-la land
• some exercise: I’m not suggesting you run a 5k and then attempt to sleep – it ain’t gonna happen.  Some light exercise an hour or two before bed can help you feel more tired when you get into bed… if your body is whipped from the exercise, your mind might follow
• count sheep: the obvious solution.  If that’s not your thing, picture a field of sheep and give them all names.  That’s way more fun than numbering them off
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If you want more information on all things sleep-related, check out the National Sleeping Foundation (do you think the people who work there have scheduled nap breaks?… ).

I think it’s time I take my own advice and catch some zzz’s.  Happy sleeping!

Adi