March is National Sleep Awareness Month — you know, the month where they take a full hour away from us in the middle of the night?
Daylight saving woes don't necessarily mean you have to suffer year-round, though.
The 25th annual campaign for National Sleep Awareness Week runs March 12–18, promoting a focus on healthy sleeping habits.
Also, March 13th is National Napping Day!
Studies by the National Sleep Foundation show three key elements to a good night's slumber: duration, quality and disorders.
None of us feels right after a poor night's sleep, but the NSF has linked the issue to emotional issues like depression, lack of cognition — including decision making and reaction time — and physiological dysfunction.
If you're having issues, Dr. David Rzeszutko, VP of Medical and Clinical Operations at Priority Health, tells us it could be as easy as a conversation with your doctor.
You can get your sleep habits on track by focusing on a few areas:
- Routine — Treat your body to sleep at the same time and for the same time. Remember, the amount of sleep needed may vary based on your age, gender, and exercise habits but it's important for everyone to go to bed at the same time each night.
Environment — Create an oasis of slumber for restorative sleep.
Do you have the right pillow? Need a fan or an open window? How much noise do you need to silence? There's a lot of personalization that goes into the perfect place for your next visit from the sandman, but there are a few common elements, too. Make sure it's dark and quiet, the temperature is just right, and what you're sleeping on supports a restful night.
Also, wash your pillow and blankets regularly. If you can, vacuum your mattress. You'd be surprised how many allergens collect in those things.
- Food — This falls under two categories: when and what.
- Poor diet, poor sleep - Heavy, greasy, fatty, and sugary foods are not your friends on the road to a healthy lifestyle — doubly so for the road to healthy sleep. Swap the burger and fries for lean proteins and veggies for dinner.
- Digest before your rest - Your body needs time to digest before it rests so that food is used as fuel, not stored as fat. Try not to eat less than four hours before bedtime to let your body finish up with its day before you try to shut down for the night.
Exercise — Get moving to work out any stress you might be under, use up fuel before it's stored as fat, and give your brain some endorphins for great dreams!
A workout is great for your health and essential for sleeping properly. People with a regular routine (whether it's taking a walk each night, strength training, or a full-blown gym addiction) report fewer emotional and physical barriers to sleep like anxiety, depression, obesity, heartburn and more — their partners report less snoring and tossing & turning. Win-win for everyone!
Screens — The happy feelings from all those funny videos or updates from friends may feel relaxing, but they're actually robbing you of restorative sleep. The blue light signals the brain to keep running at full power, and you need more and more of those dopamine hits to get the same effect each night, sucking up your sleep time without you realizing it.
Set the phone up on the other side of the room — this doubles as a fail-safe for all of us habitual snooze hitters — and turn off the TV. If you need the noise, try an old-fashioned radio set to lyric-free music, a fan, or a white noise maker.
Take a look at your sleeping habits and see what you can adjust and talk to your doctor if there are things you need a hand with like sleep apnea, snoring, anxiety and depression, nutrition, or exercise.
Then, enjoy better days ahead because of all your healthy sleep habits!
