Sleep: The Foundational Pillar of Good Health

Sleep. It’s one of the most important things you can do to keep your body and mind healthy, yet most people don’t get enough of it—especially on a regular basis. In this article, we’ll explain how much sleep you need, why getting enough sleep every night is so critical to your health, and what changes you can make in your daily routine to help improve your sleep habits.

What happens when you don’t get enough sleep?

According to a new study from researchers at University College London, inadequate sleep can lead to an increased risk of stroke—particularly for people who already have elevated blood pressure. Participants who slept for five hours or less per night were 26 percent more likely to suffer a stroke than those who got eight hours of shut-eye each night. And, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stroke is one of several conditions that are linked with sleep deprivation. In fact, research has shown that people who don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis may be putting themselves at greater risk for everything from cardiovascular disease and hypertension to diabetes and obesity. If you want to stay healthy, make sure you’re getting enough sleep.

Why are sleeping pills dangerous?

Unfortunately, sleeping pills—even over-the-counter ones like melatonin and diphenhydramine—are addictive. Many people don’t realize they are hooked on prescription sleeping pills until it is too late, and a chronic dependency has formed. They often rationalize their need for sleep aids as something I'll only do for a little while. By that point, however, it can be difficult to quit. In fact, many researchers warn that long-term use of Ambien or Lunesta can actually exacerbate insomnia symptoms in those who struggle with them. Instead of relying on pharmaceuticals to get enough shut-eye, try lifestyle tweaks first: Focus on reducing your stress level and eating healthy foods that promote restful sleep like bananas and avocados.

How to sleep fast naturally?

One of those tips that is overlooked, but is actually pretty easy to do, is to go to bed early! Most of us know that getting 8 hours is important for sleeping well and waking up refreshed. But how do you get there? Well it's as simple as setting an alarm for 9 or 10 PM and counting down from there. That way your body won't be shocked when it's time to turn off everything and sleep. Once you're in bed, make sure it's comfortable - if not, find a way to fix it! Also make sure your room is dark and quiet. These are good basics for better sleep but why do they work? Your body will tell you more on that later... so let's move on to some of these other natural ways to help you fall asleep fast naturally! First though, we need to understand why we don't always feel tired at night. When we wake up our bodies produce cortisol which makes us alert and ready to start our day. This makes sense because if we didn't have cortisol in our bodies at night then maybe we'd wake up too late for school or work and never feel like getting out of bed again! So even though most people would rather stay in bed all day long (trust me I know), once morning comes along our bodies start telling us that it's time to get moving! Another thing that can cause insomnia is stress and anxiety. Maybe you had a fight with your significant other last night or maybe you just had a bad day at work. Whatever it was, try to forget about it before going to bed! Just take some deep breaths and think about something else. If you still can't stop thinking about whatever caused your stress then try writing down what happened during the day and leaving it on your desk. Then tomorrow when you wake up, write about what happened today and leave that on your desk as well. You'll probably notice after doing this for awhile that worrying doesn't really help anything so now instead of stressing over things, just remember them and move forward without them holding you back anymore! Having trouble falling asleep fast naturally? Try exercising earlier in the day before dinner instead of right before bedtime!