Why are we here
When life gets hectic or busy, what’s one of the first things that people are willing cut? Sleep! Do you know the long term effects of not getting enough sleep? Sleep is part of your health bucket and in this episode we’re going to discuss why it’s important and how to get more of it.
Why Sleep Is Important
- Sleep is vital in overall health and well being
- Sleep impacts both your mental and physical health as well as your overall safety
Healthy Brain
- Sleep helps your brain. Studies show that sleep helps improve learning, focus, and creativity
- Sleep deficiency can actually start impacting brain activity. This can lead to trouble solving problems, making decisions, and even your emotions and behavior
- Sleep deficiency also has been correlated with depression, suicide, and risk taking behavior
Physical Health
- Sleep is when your body focuses on healing and repair.
- Heart and blood vessel repair happens during sleep. WIthout this risks increase for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.
- Lack of sleep is also linked to obesity.
- “For example, one study of teenagers showed that with each hour of sleep lost, the odds of becoming obese went up”
- Sleep impacts your bodies response to insulin. Lack of sleep can cause high blood sugar, increasing risk of diabetes.
- Your immune system relies on sleep.
Getting through the day
- “Getting enough quality sleep at the right times helps you function well throughout the day. People who are sleep deficient are less productive at work and school. They take longer to finish tasks, have a slower reaction time, and make more mistakes.”
- “After several nights of losing sleep—even a loss of just 1–2 hours per night—your ability to function suffers as if you haven’t slept at all for a day or two.”
- Safety can be risked
- Microsleep
- Response times lowered
Source: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/node/4605
So what can you do to help?
Napping
- Don’t look at napping as a fix for being sleep deprived
- Naps can serve as a great way to refresh your body and provide a boost of energy
- Naps should not be hours long – recommended nap time is 20-30 minutes as this gives you the benefits of the nap without entering REM sleep and causing you to be groggy.
Sleep Schedule
- Try your best to go to sleep and wake up and the same time. Yes, even weekends! Sleeping in on weekends will cause your circadian rhythm to drift thus impacting your sleep.
- A sleep schedule will help you plan for your sleep – to start winding yourself down prior to sleep.
- Avoid caffeine!
- Avoid those screens!
- The bright screens of TV’s, computers, phones, etc. have blue light which can trick your mind into believing it’s daylight thus thinking you should be awake.
- Alternatives
- Reading a book – fiction is best. Non fiction is going to get your mind thinking about how to implement change or your work you have for the next day.
- Deep breathing/meditation
- Alternatives
- The bright screens of TV’s, computers, phones, etc. have blue light which can trick your mind into believing it’s daylight thus thinking you should be awake.
- Ice Pack behind the neck.
- This is Shaun’s go to sleep secret that having the coolness of an ice pack behind your neck while you wind down helps him fall asleep more easily.
Sleep Space Quality
- The quality of your sleep space can greatly impact your sleep
- Should be as low light as possible – pitch black is better
- Noise should be controlled. White noise makers are great for this! Here’s Kolby’s recommended noise maker!
- Temperature should be controlled. Best temps for sleep are between 60-67 degrees (https://sleep.org/articles/temperature-for-sleep/).
- Make sure you have a comfortable bed. You sleep ⅓ of your life so make sure you’re not skimping out on your bed.
Kallweit Call To Action
Set a sleep schedule and establish what your rhythm is going to look like. Move your phone across the room. Avoid the gotcha such as looking at screens before bed or drinking caffeine. Consider a sleep tracker to monitor your progress.
