A recent survey from Harvard Medical found that more people are sleeping less than six hours a night, and sleep difficulties visit 75% of us at least a few nights per week. A short-lived bout of insomnia is generally nothing to worry about. The bigger concern is chronic sleep loss, which can contribute to health problems such as weight gain, high blood pressure, and a decrease in the immune system's power- not good 🤯

While more research is needed to explore the links between chronic sleep loss and health, it's safe to say that sleep is too important to shortchange and we need to try to make better time to do it. 

Heres 6 reasons we need to try harder to 🛏 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: BIGGIE here guys! 😵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. 

So, what are some of the ways you can rest more?? 

1. Try to make a schedule every day, where you create some time to wind down from the day. No tv or phone. Just relax in bed (ready for bed) at the same time every night. Let your body’s natural rhythm set itself to get ready for sleep by being consistent with you night routine.

2. Eat a smaller and more macro nutrient meals in the evening. Protein, carbs and fibrous veggies. Skip the alcohol and sugar, too. Heavier meals that your body cannot digest can make it harder to really rest. 

3. Exercise in the morning or early evening. Activities will help your body to tire out by end of the day and help regulate sleep. Try not to exercise 4 hours before bed. This can keep you up and not able to fall into a REM state of sleep.

4. Journal the day -before bed. If you have some work problems or “life” problems, sometimes those lingering thoughts can run ramped when we lay our heads down to sleep. Get them out on paper and out of your head before bed. Doesn’t have to be a perfect journal entry guys! Just write a few sentences about your thoughts and get it out!

5. Listen to calming music during a nightly bath or when in bed and ready for sleep. Low or no lights, no tv and turn on some soothing rain music or whatever is relaxing to you. Preferably no voices and lay down, close your eyes and keep the volume low. Listen for 20-30 min and turn off or listen until you fall asleep. 

Now let’s get to sleeping 😌