I’m a big fan of sleep. I like nap time and I’m slow to get out of bed in the morning. I’m a growing girl who needs her sleep and I’m a grouch when I don’t get it.
Unfortunately, not everyone in my life is such a big fan. Neither is our society. There is something about our culture that says if you’re not running yourself ragged you’re not measuring up. Our lives are full and over-whelming and it’s easy, and sometimes necessary, to steal resting hours from our bodies.
The average person really does need 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Sadly, most of us don’t get that. There are a number of things that can affect the amount of sleep we get, some are medical, and some are personal. When we compromise that amount of sleep those hours are gone- we can’t “catch up” tomorrow, or on the weekend or next week when our life will supposedly settle down. Each hour of sleep we loose will in one way or another cost us in our health.
Why is sleep so important? Never mind giving us the energy we need to get through the next day or week, studies have also linked a lack of sleep with many serious health consequences.
Sleep deprivation can affect appetite and weight gain, increase our risk for diabetes, compromise the immune system, and contribute to stress and depression.
Studies out of the University of Chicago say that getting less than 4 hours of sleep increases our appetite and decreases our ability to feel full. Our metabolism becomes sluggish and we need more insulin to break down sugars than those people who get more than 7 hours.
We also need dream time to process our day and prepare mentally for new challenges in the morning.
So tonight, put the kids to bed on time, leave the dishes in the sink, forget about the late news and catch a few extra ZZZ’s. Your body and mind will thank you for it.
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