Sleep is considered to be the most important thing for mental health.💞💫

 Sleep is considered to be the most important thing for mental health.💞💫

 The three pillars of health are nutrition, physical exercise, and sleep. All three of these are connected.

For example, if you don't sleep well, you may not eat well. People get food cravings when they haven't slept well, and they often crave a food with lots of carbohydrates (carbs) like a cookie. And when you are tired, the last thing you want to do is go to the gym.

People who are fully functioning pay attention to all three. They must all be working together for better health.

Here are some other health benefits of sleep:

🌿promotes growth

🌿helps heart health

🌿supports weight management

🌿helps combat germs and keep your immune system strong

🌿reduces risk of injury

🌿increases attention span

🌿boosts memory and learning

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How much sleep should adults get?

Studies show that adults should get seven to eight hours a night for good health. Some people insist that they can get away with four or five hours of sleep. While these so-called "short sleepers" do exist, they are a very small percentage of the population.

The rest of the self-identified "short sleepers" are mostly staying alert by drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks. Not getting enough sleep can raise the risk of health consequences.

However, getting enough sleep isn't just about the number of hours you're asleep. It's also about the quality of sleep and that you stay on a regular schedule so that you feel rested when you wake up.

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How much sleep should children get?

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, these are the recommended number of hours of sleep based on a child's age:

Newborns: 14-17 hours a day

Babies: 12-16 hours a day (including naps)

Toddlers: 11-14 hours a day (including naps)

Preschoolers: 10-13 hours a day (including naps)

School-aged children: 9-12 hours each night

Teenagers: 8-10 hours each night

What are some health risks of not getting enough sleep?

Not enough sleep or routinely getting broken sleep is linked with seven of the 15 leading causes of death in the U.S. These include:

Heart disease

Cancerous tumors

Diseases related to the brain, such as stroke and brain aneurysms

Accidents

Diabetes

Sepsis

High blood pressure

It's not healthy to deprive yourself of sleep because sleep supports all aspects of normal brain and body function.

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What are some tips for better sleep?

Here are some tips to help you get a better night sleep:

Avoid late-night snacking, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol.

Turn off electronics, TVs, and computers two hours before bed. The blue light from these devicescauses your brain to stay active. Turning them off a couple hours before bed gives your brain a chance to unwind and get ready for sleep.

Store all digital devices (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) in an area of the house other than the bedrooms.

Sleep in a dark room because light stimulates our brains.

Use an alarm clock rather than your smartphone or tablet as a wakeup device.

Keep room temperatures on the cooler side – ideally low to mid-60s.

Aim for a consistent bedtime routine and sleep schedule to help your body stay on a regular track. Find a good time for you to go to sleep every night and wake up at the same time every morning. It's also important to keep that same schedule even on the weekends.

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What happens to your brain when you don't get enough sleep?

Sleep deprivation affects your ability to remember, concentrate, and make good decisions. Your reaction time is also reduced. A sleep-deprived driver has the same poor response time as someone who is legally drunk.

Not getting enough sleep makes us more emotionally unstable. Lack of sleep can cause you to have very strong emotions, such as extreme sadness or anger.

Sleep experts say we should get at least seven hours of slumber each night. But as many as one in three Americans routinely sleeps for less than six hours—a trend that can have serious health ramifications.

A single night of poor sleep can leave you feeling cranky and unmotivated. You may be too tired to work efficiently, to exercise, or to eat healthfully. And over time, continued sleep deprivation raises the risk for a number of chronic health problems, including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Insufficient sleep can also leave you more vulnerable to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. There's even some evidence that insufficient sleep makes your more prone to the common cold if you're exposed to the cold virus.

In rare cases, insufficient sleep can even more dangerous. A sleep shortfall can lead to daytime drowsiness and "microsleeps." Microsleeps are brief bouts of sleep that occur during the day that usually last just a few seconds. If you've ever briefly nodded off while sitting through a lecture, you've experienced a microsleep. They usually last just a few seconds but can go on for 10 or 15 seconds—and pose a grave danger if they happen while you're driving.

During a microsleep, your brain does not respond to noise or other sensory inputs, and you don't react to things happening around you. Because people are poor judges of when microsleeps will occur (and are equally poor at preventing them), they're a major factor in many motor vehicle accidents. One in 24 American drivers admitted to falling asleep while driving at least once in the previous month, according to a government report. The National Department of Transportation estimates that each year, drowsy driving is responsible for 1,550 fatalities and 40,000 nonfatal injuries in the United States.

So how do you combat insuficient sleep? The best solution is to figure out how many hours of sleep are right for you and then stick with it—even on weekends, holidays, and vacations. Basic lifestyle changes that promote sleep can also help. Exercise, avoiding caffeine, and practicing good sleep hygiene are some of the ways to get your best rest.

– By Julie Corliss
Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter

You can read more about sleep problems—and how to treat them—in the Harvard Special Health Report, Improving Sleep: A guide to a good night’s rest.🎇✨🎉