IS LACK OF SLEEP MAKING YOU TIRED AND MISERABLE?
If so, you have lots of company!
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),
50 to 70 MILLION Americans suffer from sleep problems.
Lack of sleep causes more than baggy eyes and a crabby mood.
Scientists have discovered links between sleep deprivation and breast cancer, obesity, depression and heart disease. Getting enough sleep is also essential to reducing stress and maintaining a healthy immune system.
While the roots of sleep disorders can come from many sources, there is one cause that most of us deal with daily.
Fortunately, it is one we can control.
Exposure to light at night is a culprit in insomnia. Think about it: we evolved sleeping and waking in response to natural light.
We have extended our “daytime” many hours longer than Nature intended.
Why does this upset sleep patterns?
You are probably familiar with melatonin. It is not just a pill from a bottle, but a naturally occurring hormone. The rise and fall of melatonin levels regulates the body clock, creating the cycles of sleep and wakefulness.
Guess what disrupts the production of melatonin?
LIGHT!
By now you have probably figured out the no-brainer solution. Give your brain a break from bright light an hour or two before bed.
It may be hard to wean yourself from the TV, computer or ereader, but you will thank yourself in the morning!
Read more about the science of sleep here.
Did you find this article useful? I would love to get your feedback! Please share any tips you may have discovered for improving sleep! (Click link below title to leave your comment.)
SWEET DREAMS!
To your health!
Diane
Diane@HueyHealth.com
As a solo professional who runs her runs her own coaching and consulting practice, I can keep on working until bedtime if I let myself., thinking I’m “being productive” Your post gave me a valuable perspective. If I quit working 1-2 hours before bedtime, I will sleep better and be more rested the next day – which will allow me to be even more productive. Thanks for the great advice, Diane!
Kate, thanks for your thoughtful comment. You inspire other readers to follow your example!