WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --
Sleep has become a precious commodity – we love it and need it but rarely get enough of it. Busy schedules, kids, anxiety and technology can all get in the way of a good night’s sleep.
Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. The way you feel while you are awake depends in part on what happens while you are sleeping. During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. Without enough sleep, the brain cannot function properly, impairing your abilities to concentrate, think clearly, and process memories.
Sleep serves a variety of important physical and psychological functions, including:
- Learning and memory consolidation: Sleep helps with focus and concentration, and it allows the brain to register and organize memories, all of which are vital to learning.
- Energy conservation and storage: During the day, cells throughout your body use stockpiled resources to keep doing their jobs. While you’re asleep, your body uses less energy. That lets those cells resupply and stock up for the next day.
- Self-repair and recovery: Being less active makes it easier for your body to heal injuries and repair issues that happened while you were awake. That’s why being sick makes you feel more tired.
- Emotional regulation: Sleep helps people regulate their emotions and better manage the physical and psychological effects of stress.
How much sleep should adults get?
Sleep needs are variable from person to person. Most adults need a solid seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Getting enough sleep isn’t only about the number of hours you’re asleep. It’s also about the quality of sleep, and that you stay on a regular schedule so that you feel rested when you wake up.
Not getting the amount of sleep your body needs can have serious consequences. Long-term sleep deprivation may:
- Suppress your immune system, increasing your susceptibility to sickness and infection.
- Increase your risk of developing heart problems, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.
- Interfere with your metabolism and elevate your risk for obesity.
- Lead to depression and anxiety.
Sleep tips: 10 steps to better sleep
- Stick to a sleep schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, including weekends. Being consistent reinforces your body’s sleep-wake cycle.
- Have a bedtime routine. Try to establish a nightly wind-down routine, beginning about an hour before bedtime. This can include listening to soothing music or reading.
- Make your bedroom dark. Light is the single most important environmental factor affecting your ability to sleep. Consider blackout shades or curtains that block out all sunlight and outdoor electronic lights.
- Keep the room temperature cool. If your room is warm, this may interrupt your sleep quality.
- Seek silence. Sleeping in noisy environments prevents us from falling asleep and staying in a state of deep, restorative slumber. Earplugs or white-noise machines can filter out noise distractions during sleep time.
- Get a comfortable bed, mattress, and pillow. Bed quality can also affect sleep. For example, poor-quality bedding can lead to increased lower back pain, which can make it harder to sleep well.
- Limit daytime naps. Avoid napping after 3 p.m. When you nap too close to your bedtime you’re taking away the sleep drive that was built all day, making it harder to fall asleep at night.
- Sleep partners can be snooze stealers. A partner that snores loudly or moves frequently can keep you awake. Sleeping in separate beds may be the best solution. Children and/or pets on your bed can also be disruptive to restful sleep.
- Include physical activity in your daily routine. Regular physical activity can improve the quality and quantity of sleep by reducing stress and anxiety and increasing total sleep time and quality of sleep.
- Pay attention to what you eat and drink. Don’t go to bed hungry or stuffed. Avoid large meals and beverages late at night. Discomfort might keep you up. Avoid alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine in the hours before bed. The stimulating effects of nicotine and caffeine take hours to wear off and can interfere with sleep. And even though alcohol might make you sleepy at first, it can disrupt sleep later in the night.
Comprehensive information on how to get a good night’s sleep can be found on the National Institutes of Health website at NIH.gov