Many of us believe that we can survive on 5-6 hours of sleep per night and I feel the optimum word here is….Survive!! We have forgotten what it feels like to not be in survival mode and that life can flow more easily and that we can have better clarity.
We NEED long, restful sleep and we Need to get to bed early. I often get a look of horror when I say to a patient that I want them to try getting to bed by 10pm. The answer I am given is often that they need longer to relax and unwind after the day, meaning that it can be 11pm or midnight before going to bed. This is something we easily would have gotten away with in our 20’s and in all honesty it was probably much later that midnight! And I guess this is where many bad sleeping habits come from.
Maybe, it’s the responsibilities of life….of going to work, of looking after the kids, of taking care of a family member etc that night time may be the only time you get to do what you want to do! And that is completely understandable, I get it; you want to watch your favourite show or you just want to scroll through Instagram or Facebook. OR spend some much needed, quality time with your partner because he is in the same situation.
But, and I am sorry that there is a but! 🙂 The human body NEEDS sleep and it needs an early bedtime. There is an hormonal change over somewhere around 10pm – like a changing of the guards almost. And if our bodies are resting and/or asleep by that time then the magic can happen. From about 10pm to 2am nature decided that that was the time for human bodies to go into full rest. So often night, after night crucial repairing and healing processes are being missed out on. And this is in no way to point the finger and create blame….it is just a fact of nature.
So, why exactly is it so important to sleep during the hours nature intended?
Firstly, the body just does not have time during the day. At night it can then release the necessary growth hormones that allow for growth and development. Also, your heart and vascular system slows down giving them much needed rest after a busy day. Appetite regulation hormones are also regulated while you sleep, so you may find that if you are not getting a full, restful night’s sleep that you crave sugar or carbs a little more and possibly are finding it difficult to shed that extra little bit of weight even though you are working hard at the gym.
Our immune systems are supported while we sleep and those who miss out on even 1-2 hours per night may notice they get colds or flus more often. Also due to the immune system not being supported fully it can lead to inflammation and over time possibly to conditions like diabetes type 2, stroke, heart disease etc.
In our society sleep is completely devalued, it is almost seen as a waste of time and the term “I will sleep when I am dead” is used far too often in my opinion. But what would it be like to be alert and energetic and vibrant while we are ALIVE?? To have a clear head and the energy to get the necessary work done? I would really like you to consider this. Is watching that extra episode on Netflix really worth it? Does that report really need to be finished tonight? Or is waking up rested going to mean you have a far more productive day?