HEALTH &
Wellness
‘Early to Bed, Early to Rise, Makes you Healthy, Wealthy and Wise’ How to ensure you get enough sleep! BY KAREN LANGSTON
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Perhaps Benjamin Franklin was on to something when he penned the idea, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Did you know we spend nearly a third of our lives asleep? Scientists are still trying to unravel the mystery as to why. Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to sleep at all? Imagine the things you could do with an extra eight hours! Less than seven to eight hours of snoozing, over time, can lead to health problems. Sleep is crucial to a healthy immune system, brain function, proper mood, behavior, weight management, and optimized hormones. Have you heard the expression “half asleep”? Researchers have found that those who do not get enough zzz’s are actually half asleep. According to a study published in Science Direct, the more sleep-deprived a person becomes, the more inactive parts of the brain become while they are still awake, making it hard to focus and pay attention. One of the easiest things we can do to boost our immune system and keep ourselves healthy is to get proper
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uninterrupted sleep. Give these tips a try to get the best night’s sleep possible.
GET OUTSIDE FOR 30 MINUTES A DAY We are spending a crazy amount of time indoors, especially these days working from home. We are under artificial lighting and the constant glare of blue-light screens from our electronics. We need natural light! Thirty minutes of natural daylight increases hormone production of serotonin, which is responsible for alertness and positive moods, and boosts hormone production of melatonin to help with sleep.
CREATE A BEDTIME RITUAL Set a routine so your body will know when it is time to sleep. An hour before hitting the pillow, dim the lights and quiet things down. If you must catch up on Netflix, dim the
