Good morning! Or should I say good morning sleepy head as in I wish I could sleep in longer and get a couple more hours of sleep? We’ve all been there. I confess. I am so guilty of not getting adequate rest during the week. Living in the 21st century and in close proximity to a large metropolitan area, I think the importance of sleep can often be underrated. Why? I think we underestimate sleep because we live in a culture where time equates to money and those who get up earliest get access to opportunities first. There are only so many hours in a day and yet we have a million things to get done. Despite these truths, the fact of the matter is getting adequate sleep and rest is essential to good overall health and wellness. Rest is just as important a factor to overall wellness like exercise, eating clean and having a positive attitude.
When I think of past patterns, I know for a long while after my cats, Dusty and Precious passed away, I’d lie in bed letting my mind wander over and over replaying the last moments of their lives in my head. I would be consumed with grief and anxiety that kept me up at night. This is so not like me to not be able to fall asleep fast. That constant stress, feelings of guilt and regret caused restless nights and impacted my health and healing. When you grieve, have stressful life events or even just living the daily grind, your body and mind can get overwhelmed and exhausted. I know for myself, when I work too much or do not get a solid 7+ hours a night, I experience problems. What problems am I talking about?
Poor Sleep
Short term memory
If I don’t get enough sleep my memory suffers. I feel like I’m not as sharp and it takes me a minute to gather my thoughts. On the contrary when I feel rested I’m on the ball and sharp.
Moodiness
Yes chile! If I don’t get enough sleep, my mood can change on a dime. Have you ever woken up and felt like today is not the day to mess with me because I’m just not in the mood to hear it? When sleep deprived, I have a shorter fuse than usual and the small things that I’d normally let roll off my back-end up irritating me.
Low Immunity
Part of getting proper rest is part of wellness. The problem I experience when not getting consistent rest is a low immune system so I tend to catch a cold more often or it takes me longer to get over a cold when I do get sick.
Low productivity
Lastly, lack of adequate sleep causes me to feel like I’m not able to get enough done in my day. I can work at a sluggish pace and not maximize my effort like I know I can.
Overall I’m just not my happy-go-lucky self, however, with adequate rest of 7-8 hours, I feel the positive impact in my daily life such as…
Good Sleep
Better attitude
There is nothing like a good night’s sleep to help you wake up refreshed and in a good mood for the day. You feel like you get your day started off on a positive note. This transcends throughout the day.
Stronger Immunity
The body is meant to rejuvenate and repair itself at night and therefore heal itself. When you allow your body to get proper rest and repair, you see and feel the effects.
More Energy
When I’m well rested I have more energy that lasts throughout my entire day. That means no need for that extra large coffee!
Maximum Productivity
When I get proper rest, I feel like I wake up with my batteries charged at 100%. You can get so much more accomplished and that in and of itself, lifts your mood and pumps up your confidence.
So I say all this to say, be sure to take care of yourself. We all aren’t perfect however we can make strides daily to improve our lives on this journey. Start with small lifestyle changes and make them a permanent part of your life. Those changes add up collectively to positive results. Take time to find a way to relax your mind and body to a state where you welcome getting sleep and enough of it. We can learn a thing or two from our furry friends!
Part of wellness and healing means taking care of our mental health, physical health and incorporate rest and relaxation too. It’s not easy but if you make yourself a priority, you’ll find a way to do so. Are your curious to know more benefits of getting adequate sleep? According to The Sleep Judge, some of the benefits of adequate rest include the following.
More Reasons to Get More Sleep
- Better Health
- Healthier Skin
- Less Pain
- Reduced chance of Injury
- Improved Mood
- Improved Weight Management
- Clearer Thinking
- Improved Memory
- Less Worries of Cancer/Illness
- Improved Work Productivity
Do you need helpful tips to help you get a good nights rest? Check out this more in-depth article Health Benefits of Sleeping & How far they Reach by Candace Osmond which provides solutions to help you achieve better sleep daily.
Comment below. Do you have trouble getting enough hours of sleep each night?
