The purpose of sleep is for rest, repair and restoration. If we are not getting enough sleep we feel exhausted and everything is that much more difficult including our recovery from injury!
What affects my ability to get quality sleep?
- Disruption to our sleep hormone “melatonin” through things such as, exposure to light late in the evening from our devices and televisions
- Emotional interference can affect sleep such as stress
- Biochemical disruptions including too much caffeine or alcohol which disrupts rapid eye movement otherwise known as REM sleep where the body repairs itself disrupts sleep quality
- Poor quality bed
Most people think, as we get older we need more sleep!! This is not the case if we are able to maintain the quality of our sleep.
Why good sleep matters…
- Improves memory, cognition, mood and physical endurance
- Allows for recovery of cells that make up muscles
- Improves immune function which is essential for prevention of autoimmune diseases such as cancers
How to improve my sleep
- Get 7-9 hours sleep per night
- Make sleep your PRIORITY; we tend to compromise our sleep to get more done in the day however sleep should be a non negotiable priority for our health
Get up at the same time every morning and expose yourself to light- preferably by getting outside and exercising.
