We all know that getting enough sleep is important to our health and well-being. When my children were young, a proper bedtime was enforced because as parents, we knew only too well the consequences of a late night: a crankiness the next day that made everyone suffer. So why as adults do we think we can get away with going to bed late, day after day? Do the years make us suddenly immune to the effects of ignoring a regular bedtime for ourselves?
Sleep plays a key role in immune function, metabolism, memory, learning, concentration, emotional well-being and weight control. In addition to this amazing list, sleep increases our creativity, and allows the body to repair and restore itself. Muscle growth and tissue repair take place while we sleep.
Research has shown that those of us who sleep 6 hours or less a night are twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke. Continuing to deprive ourselves of sleep, can lead to obesity and even shorten our life spans. If that wasn't enough, too little sleep can result in inflammatory disease, which is linked to heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and premature aging. It seems 6 to 8 hours a night is the optimum, as sleeping too much has its own dangers to your heath.
I certainly don't need more reasons that all of these to encourage me to get to bed earlier on a regular basis. I will make it my habit to climb into bed a little earlier and read a book for awhile, developing a nightly routine that will result in my falling asleep quickly and hopefully gaining a full night's healthy sleep.
The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School has interesting information on the benefits of sleep.
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