Can you relate to this sleepy puppy? There are lots of possible reasons why you may be tired. Let's talk about a pretty darn obvious one. Are you getting enough sleep? If not, no judgment here. Way too many people aren't.
It's easy to prioritize other things over sleep. The bottom line is that each of us gets to set our own priorities, so I'm not here to be your mom and tell you to go to bed. What I will do, though, is give you info so you can choose your priorities as a well-informed grown up.
We all know why we skip out on sleep:
to care for a wakeful child
to get more work done
to enjoy some alone time
because we get sucked into a good book or show
because we work night shift
because we just can't get to sleep (But insomnia is a whole different topic. Today we're talking about the times we voluntarily give up sleep.)
The list goes on.
If we're going to trade sleep for anything, let's first look at what we're trading away.
Before we get into that - again, I'm not trying to tell you what your priorities should be. Sometimes some things are legitimately more important than sleep. Let's take a look.
What can happen if we don't get enough sleep?
from an article from the Cleveland Clinic (No fear mongering here, just info.)
Short-term problems can include:
Lack of alertness. Even missing as little as 1.5 hours can have an impact on how you feel.
Excessive daytime sleepiness. It can make you very sleepy and tired during the day.
Impaired memory. Lack of sleep can affect your ability to think, remember and process information.
Relationship stress. It can make you feel moody and you can become more likely to have conflicts with others.
Quality of life. You may become less likely to participate in normal daily activities or to exercise.
Greater likelihood for car accidents. Drowsy driving accounts for thousands of crashes, injuries and fatalities each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Continued lack of sleep can contribute to more serious health problems and other issues like:
High blood pressure
Diabetes
Heart attack
Heart failure
Stroke
Depression
Impairment in immunity
Lower sex drive
If those potential consequences cause us to reprioritize getting more sleep more often, here are some tips that can help.
How to Sleep Better If you’re experiencing mild, occasional problems with sleep, try these simple strategies from sleep expert Michelle Drerup, PsyD, DBSM. 1. Treat getting enough sleep as if it is as important as taking medicine. 2. Keep a consistent wake time. 3. Put away the smart phones and tablets. 4. If you do wake up during the night, avoid looking at the clock.
If you want to read more, pop over HERE for the full Cleveland Clinic article and links to several others on various aspects of the topic.
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If you’d like to learn more about this topic, click HERE to book a session with me.
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