We get it: A new year rounds the corner, and the old “This year, I’m going to get in shape” tune starts playing again. Maybe you get a membership to the gym or sign up for a subscription meal service. But one of the biggest players in your health doesn’t cost anything—and affects everything. It’s, you guessed it, sleep. And if you’re going to hit any of those health goals this year, better sleep is a resolution you have to make. Here’s why:
Sleep improves everything
It’s as simple as that. Want to improve your physical health? Sleep. Want to improve your mental health? Sleep. We aren’t adding anything to your life—no workouts, foods or supplements you have to fit into your (already busy) day. We’re simply getting you back to enough. Enough hours of sleep to say goodbye to sleep deprivation symptoms like:
Because the truth is: If you’re not getting enough sleep, your health is suffering—whether you’re experiencing symptoms or not (and, trust us: eventually, you will.) And because you can’t actually catch up on sleep, you may want to check yourself before you pull another all-nighter.
Wait, you can’t catch up on sleep?
The old adage “We’ll sleep when we’re dead!” may seem hilarious when it’s 2:00 a.m. and you’re not ready to go home—but the truth is you can’t catch up on sleep. And the resulting sleep debt isn’t pretty. It causes all those symptoms you want to get rid of at the start of a new year.
The catch-22: Whether you’re sacrificing sleep to party, work or because you’re suffering from a sleep disorder, the more indebted you become to sleep, the less you actually recognize you’re deprived of it. Sleep debt symptoms become your new normal, and you forget what it feels like to get a good night’s sleep. The only way to remember is, of course, to start consistently sleeping longer again. Sure, if you pull an all-nighter, you can sleep in on the weekend, but the cumulative effects of sleep debt create long-term damage, so it’s important not to think of sleep in isolated units, like weekdays and weekends.
Plus, you’ll make better decisions
Forget the catastrophic events that have been caused by shift work and sleep deprivation (have you seen HBO’s Chernobyl?!), even everyday decisions are at risk when you’re sleep-deprived.
A study at Washington State University showed that sleeplessness creates short-circuits in the brain that prevent us from making good choices—that could be as simple as whether to eat an apple or Ben & Jerry’s, go to spin or binge-watch Netflix. When we’re well-rested, we’re well-equipped to make healthier decisions.
So, as 2020 rounds the corner, be honest with yourself: How much sleep are you actually getting? Shoot for 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep every night. Your short-term and long-term health with thank you for it. And if you’re doing everything “right,” and still can’t sleep? Contact us to book a free consultation. We’re here to help you sleep better in 2020.