Sleep energizes your body and soul so you can take on the world!
As a wellness and travel writer, I can’t emphasize enough: the power of sleep. That’s why I’ve teamed up with Sleep Number® to get you the facts about the amazing benefits of sleep. Are you a night owl? A morning person? Or someone who says, “I don’t need much sleep”? Why do we minimize the importance of sleep? We spend half our day sleeping; shouldn’t it be considered a component of mental and physical well-being? Why is it so underrated? If you deprive yourself of plentiful snooze time, your mind can’t function, literally.
Sleep is the Holy Grail to optimal physical health.
Sleep is the sacred place where your mind goes for clarity and peace.
What if you could love people better if you got sufficient sleep? Or maybe, we’d all be more lovable if we got more rest? My favorite advice to give is, “Kiss the people you love good night and tell them you love them.” Especially if you’re a parent! No matter what your child’s age is! Teens need to hear this even more than younger kids. It isn’t easy for a cranky parent to give her best. We all know that our relationships with each other are better when we are all well rested. You may be compromising your emotional bond with family if you’re not having positive interactions on a regular basis. Strangely enough, women need more sleep due to fluctuation in hormones. Sleep truly rebuilds your soul so you can be kinder, gentler and more present with everyone you interact with.
Facts you should know about sleep:
• Increases the bond between you and your family members
• Gives you a sense of well-being and mental clarity
• Provides an optimal physical boost for you upon waking
• Helps you focus on the important things in life
• Contributes to your overall health and happiness
When you don’t sleep well on a regular basis you:
• Comprise your body’s ability to heal
• Are more susceptible to viruses and colds
• Are more succeptible memory impairment
• Operate at a mediocre level of energy
• May encounter sexual dysfunction or have low drive
• Become irritable and unpleasant to be around
• May underperform tasks at work and home
• Will find it hard to stick to tasks or complete them with joy
• May have bouts of anger or depression
• May give up easily on challenges because you don’t have enough energy
How important is your mattress?
It’s no secret that great sleep starts with your mattress. Picking a mattress is a big deal. It’s like shopping for a car, you need to take your time to be sure you’re buying the right one for your personal needs. The better the mattress is, the better you’ll sleep! Sleep Number® beds are the key differentiator for great sleep. They adjust on both sides to you and your partner’s ideal firmness or softness, so neither of you have to sacrifice on your perfect level of comfort. My husband has his Sleep Number setting at 90 and my Sleep Number setting is 55. I must say they are the perfect beds for couples! I love that we can customize our sleep options each night! During ski season, I actually switch my Sleep Number setting to 100 so that my back has great support for the rigors of skiing! Sleep Number beds continually adjust to you and your sleep needs so you don’t have to worry if your bed is causing you discomfort or contributing to other sleep issues. See more tips below how sleep can energize your body and soul.
How can we be at peace with sleep? What will encourage you to get more of it?
• Prioritize sleep and stop minimizing it
• Respect it and know that it’s as important as food
• It’s fuel for your overall health
• Get at least 6 hours a night, but 8 is recommended
• Nap (any chance you get!)
• Hydration and sleep are a perfect combination! Drink plenty of water daily.
• Tell yourself that sleep makes you more loveable & easy to be around
• When we don’t get enough sleep, our immune systems go into overdrive, which causes systemic inflammation and turns on dangerous conditions that we can live without.
If we are a people who value happiness and health, we should be putting sleep at the top of our priority list. A good night’s sleep will help you feel refreshed and invigorated – and ready to be the real, optimal you. What are you waiting for? Shouldn’t you be napping now?
This post was sponsored in part by Sleep Number®.
