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Thursday, September 20, 2012

to sleep perchance to dream...

Ok not everything in this blog is not supposed to be me spouting advice, at least it shouldn't be. It's about me trying to achieve better health, I am not a beacon of health, an expert on all things health and nutrition.  I do have knowledge regarding fitness and rehabilitation but I obviously have a lot to learn and even more challenging to APPLY to my life. 
 
That being said I would like today's healthy habit to be more of something that I am challenging myself to....getting more sleep.  My original goal this fall was to get up and exercise before the girls, like 6 or 6:30 depending on the day.  Well that is not happening because my plan of going to bed earlier, is not working out.   I need to go to bed earlier.   Tuesday night I went to bed at 12:30 which isn't as bad as I have done in the past but still I need to do better.  When I tried to get up at 7:30 this morning it felt like 4 am, ugh.  Plus this doesn't help me in my struggle to cut down on coffee and diet coke (but lets save that beast for another day!).


 
Something to the phrase sleeping like a baby! My youngest can conk out anywhere.  There is even a picture of my husband passed out.  He does this because he doesn't get enough sleep either though!

What is wrong with not getting enough sleep?
According to Phyllis C. Zee, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, says healthy sleep habits are critical to maintaining a healthy mind and body. Researchers have found that not following healthy sleeping habits can cause:
  • Loss of energy and feelings of exhaustion
  • Anxiety, depression, or irritability
  • Mood changes
  • Overeating, weight gain
  • Memory problems, trouble paying attention, delayed reactions, and a reduced ability to learn
  • An impaired ability to think fast and avoid mistakes or accidents
  • A limited ability to multitask
  • Insomnia or sleep fragmentation
  • Obstructive sleep apnea
  • Increase in blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias, stroke, diabetes, dementia
So how is your sleep? Try this quiz from Everyday Health Magazine:



6. Do you watch TV, use your computer, listen to the radio, read, or do anything else in your bedroom besides sleeping and having sex?
7. What is the temperature in your bedroom?
8. How often do you wake up in the middle of the night?
9. How would you describe a typical night of sleep?
10. Do you have any physical, emotional, or hormonal conditions that might interfere with your sleep?
  • Yes (0 pts)
  • No (2 pts)
  • I don't know (1 pt)





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