4 Big Reasons to Prioritise Sleep

26 March 2016

 I hear so many people speak about how tired they are. Its probably one of the most common things we speak about. Yes, life can be very, no – extremely busy, and chaotic and stressful, but always remember that YOU have the choice to make time for your health! And that includes sleep, just as much as eating well and working out.

How many of you reading this survive (and I use this word intentionally) on 4-5 hours of sleep each night?

Next question, how many of you think sleep isn’t all that important?

And, how many of you believe that successful people sleep less because rest is for the weak?

If you answer to all of the above is “I do” then I am here to tell you that you that you need to take a closer look.

• Firstly, why would you merely want to survive (as the first question suggests)? We are supposed to be thriving, not merely getting by – and you know what!? – more good quality sleep will help you do that!
• If you believe sleep isn’t important, then let me share something with you. From a biological standpoint, when we don’t get enough sleep and this persists for some time, our bodies go into stress mode – that means we begin to release cortisol (our stress hormone), which increases our appetite, promotes fat storage, wreaks havoc with our blood sugar levels, impairs our immune system, stimulates inflammation. So, if you are looking to lose weight and get fit, believe me less sleep isn’t going to do you any favours here.
• High cortisol levels also inhibit cognitive functioning, so if you are wanting to increase your productivity, well, less sleep isn’t going to be of much assistance to you either. So here we have another big reason to take sleep more seriously
• Sleep time gives our bodies an opportunity to grow, heal and repair. This is the period during which our bodies undergo new cell generation

Don’t forget that good quality sleep is just as important as enough sleep, so be sure to set yourself up for a solid and serene sleep, with no interruptions – keep your room really dark, be sure to have your phone and any other technology kept away from your bed, breathe deeply before you fall asleep and keep your room temperature at around 22°C. For more quality sleep solutions, click here.

I always go back to saying that we are all different, and therefore have different physiological needs – so yes, the amount of sleep we each need differs too. As a guideline, 7-8 hours of sleep per night is ideal – so use this as a benchmark to start off with. But don’t sell yourself short on sleep – it’s an absolutely vital part of your health and wellbeing, so be sure to clock in on some good quality sleep to keep you functioning at your peak!

Yours in Health Always

Cara-Lisa

@caralishious

xoxo