The importance of a good night's sleep!

Everyone who knows me knows that I just can't sleep! This problem started for me after I retired from my full-time job. Back when I was working 10 hour days, running a household and chasing after 4 kids I had no problem sleeping. As a matter of fact, I could hardly wake up in the morning because I was just dead tired! Slowly though, after leaving my hectic job for good, I developed very bad patterns. I would stay up long after everyone else was in bed fast asleep. The tv and pc became my nighttime partners and soon enough, I was having major difficulty winding down and falling asleep! Not only was I staying up all hours into the night, but I was creating a secondary problem, constantly snacking on bad food choices!  We all know what snacking on chips does to the waistline. NO MORE! Now when I reach for a snack, I conciously make it a healthy choice such as plain popcorn, cucumber slices with a crumble of low fat feta on top, or apple slices with a dab of peanut butter! I have discovered that sleep deprivation is a very common problem, especially for post-menopausal women! The funny thing is that ever since I started a very concerted effort to focus on my health (not just on losing weight) I am sleeping so much better! I guess all the work I am doing at the gym is paying off in more ways than one. I am not 100% where I want to be, but I can tell my sleeping patterns have improved tremendously. Before, I would sleep fitfully, and now I am getting much more restful sleep and sleeping at least 6-7 hours a night.

According to the Harvard Women's Health Watch these are 6 vital reasons to get enough sleep:

1. Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
2. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
3. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
4. Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
5. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer

These reasons alone should be enough to motivate you to do whatever you can to ensure you get a good night's sleep. Just remember, if you want to feel your best, stay healthy, and perform up to your potential, sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. Learn what's keeping you awake and how to avoid it,  and also learn  to determine your personal sleep needs. Do what you must to bounce back from chronic sleep loss and get on a healthy sleep schedule...I know I did!