“Having peace, happiness, and healthiness is my definition of beauty and you can’t have any of that without sleep.” -Beyonce
Sleeping is the most important reset your body can take and has a variety of health benefits and can even have benefits to keep you safe. Without the proper amount of sleep, our bodies can develop chronic health problems, such as heart or kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, strokes, obesity, and depression.
Lack of sleep also causes anxiety, impacting your ability to remember, regulate emotion and attention, physical strength, and the speed at which you process information and the ability to have insight. These all correlate to your personal safety as increased anxiety paired with the decreased ability to have insight can be detrimental. You may perceive a threat that is not there or brush off a true threat as paranoia or increased anxiety.
On the other hand, the benefits of sleep include the reduction of stress, heals your body, boosts creativity, improves productivity, enhances decision making, and much more! The impact of good, quality sleep has an overwhelming amount of benefits that also impact your safety, such as increased awareness, ability to regulate emotion, and peak physical strength.
How Much Sleep Do I Really Need?
According to the Harvard Medical School, the amount of sleep needed is actually incorrect in measuring how much sleep you truly need. The amount of sleep you need is based on your personal needs and circumstances. For example, females need more sleep on average than males and teenagers need more sleep than adults due to their development. The quality of sleep also plays a large factor into how long you should be sleeping. If you consistently get poor sleep quality, such as waking up multiple times, then you may need 8 hours or more to make up for the lack of quality.
You can track your sleep quality by keeping a sleep journal beside your bed and making it a habit to write down notable factors when you wake up. By tracking your habits, you can discover patterns that lead to better sleep quality.
Can’t Fall Asleep?
More than a third of all Americans get less sleep than what is needed for their body and a staggering 45% of women and 26% of men report being tired in the morning. How can we change these statistics? By changing some habits to make up a solid nighttime routine and get better sleep one night at a time.
We recommend taking the following steps to reset your nighttime habits:
- Start unplugging devices at a specific time
- While this may be hard, unplugging yourself from Instagram, the TV, tablet, and any other blue light emitting device will help your body recognize it is time to reset.
- Read a book or magazine
- If you need something to help you fall asleep, a book or magazine is a great choice. E-readers are another great tablet-like device if you would rather save money and space that do not emmitt a blue light.
- Try a non-alcoholic nightcap!
- While the occasional Hot toddy or Hot Buttered Rum hits the spot, alcoholic nightcaps are actually not good for sleep as it reduces the quality you get at night, even if you get more hours.
- The best mocktail nightcaps consist of a variety of ingredients that all promote better sleep. Some popular ingredients consist of tart cherry juice, magnesium, chamomile tea, and prebiotic or healthy alternative sodas like Poppi or Olipop. The Damsel Home Office Staff favorites include the Raspberry Rose Poppi and the Cherry Vanilla Olipop!
- Keep the same or similar routine every night to promote consistency
- Do you prefer a warm shower before or after you brush your teeth? Would you prefer to make dinner prior to putting on pajamas? Our bodies have a unique power to remember things, including what we do before we sleep! By keeping a similar nighttime routine, you can begin building signals to your body that make you tired as soon as you begin the steps.
- Keep a Gratitude Journal and try restful Yoga
- By keeping a focus on the positive little things in life, rather than honing in on the bad, you can keep a happy disposition and regulate neurotransmitters along with other hormones
- Add the Step Off Portable Entry Alarm and Locked Down to windows and doors for peace of mind
- A great night’s rest starts with feeling safe and the best way to do that is by adding the Step Off to windows and the Locked Down to outside doors for safety precautions
If your struggle with sleep is beyond counting sheep, we recommend visiting a sleep specialist near you. For more information on home protection, contact your local Damsel Safety Educator here today!
