There’s an epidemic out there.
8 out of 10 people say they would feel better and more prepared for their day if they just had one more hour of sleep a night. Are you part of the 80% who aren’t getting the sleep they need?
Sleep is not a luxury.
Not sleeping well has really become a crisis in this country. Many of us don’t prioritize our sleep. Everything else comes first – family, work, chores, obligations. Sleep is the first thing to go when we feel like we don’t have enough time in the day to get everything done.
And for many of us, once we are ready to take the time to sleep, sleep doesn’t come easily. Maybe it takes you forever to fall asleep at night. Or you wake up in the middle of the night, just lying there, begging for sleep to take over again.
I learned the hard way.
I was one of those people for 2 years. My insomnia started in pregnancy and didn’t go away even when my baby started sleeping through the night. I’m probably more sensitive to sleep deprivation than others, and I was miserable. I hated being exhausted and trying to function in a fog every day. You can read my story here.
Sleep to Survive
It turns out that sleep is a basic need. It’s right up there with food, water, air, and shelter. Our bodies need sleep to be healthy and happy and to thrive in life.
Sleep is so important that not getting enough makes us more likely to get modern diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and more. Seems hard to believe?
Check out these statistics:
- Individuals with short sleep duration (less than 6 hours) were 7.5 times more likely to have a higher body mass index.[1]
- Those reporting 6 hours per night were about 1.7 times more likely to have diabetes.[2]
- Five hours of sleep or less was associated with a 45 percent increase in risk of a heart attack.[3]
- Nearly 20% of all serious car crash injuries are associated with driver sleepiness[4]
- Studies using different methods and populations estimate that 65% to 90% of adult patients with major depression, and about 90% of children with this disorder, experience some kind of sleep problem.[5]
It’s a lifestyle choice
The good news is that most sleep issues aren’t actually a medical problem. Sure, we treat them with drugs like it’s a medical problem. But for most people who don’t have an actual sleep disorder, the problem is behavioral. Which means there’s a non-medical solution.
Your sleeplessness is not from a lack of sleeping pills. Our sleep problems come from living in the modern world in which we don’t move enough, get enough sunlight, or take time to wind down at night before bed.
So
what if you do value your sleep? What if you’re ready to make some changes to
get the sleep you need? First of all, congrats! Next, take a look at my Guide
to a Good Night’s Sleep for some tips that will help you sleep better.
Maybe even tonight!
[1] Hasler G, Buysse DJ, Klaghofer R, Gamma A, Ajdacic V, Eich D, Rossler W, Angst J. The association between short sleep duration and obesity in young adults: A 13-year prospective study. Sleep. 2004;27(4):661–666.
[2] Gottlieb DJ, Punjabi NM, Newman AB, Resnick HE, Redline S, Baldwin CM, Nieto FJ. Association of sleep time with diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2005;165(8):863–867.
[3] Ayas NT, White DP, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, Speizer FE, Malhotra A, Hu FB. A prospective study of sleep duration and coronary heart disease in women. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2003;163(2):205–209.
[4] Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research. (2006) Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem. [Online] Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19958/ [Accessed 12 June 2018].
[5] https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/sleep-and-mental-health
Want to learn more about how to incorporate self care routines into your daily life and thrive in your business as a result? Get our Ultimate Guide to Self Care here. 
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- Creating a Business that Supports Your Mental Health needs
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