Make a New Year’s Resolution to Prioritize Sleep
It’s that time of year again! With a new year approaching, many people will be making resolutions. There is one resolution that everyone can benefit from making at any age, and that’s to prioritize sleep. Waking up after a good night’s sleep feels great, but few of us get enough sleep, and eventually, it takes a toll on our health.
This year, consider making a New Year’s resolution: sleep more. When you prioritize sleep, you are giving yourself the gift of better health. Most adults need between 7 and 9 hours per night for optimal wellness, yet the majority of people get less than 7 hours each night. Getting sufficient sleep helps improve your physical, mental, and emotional health, which might even give you the energy and self-control to crush your other goals for the new year.
Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep
Sleep is nature’s method of recharging the body. Getting enough sleep helps boost your immune system and refreshes your energy to prepare you to meet the challenges of the next day. Regularly getting a good night’s sleep includes a mix of physical and mental benefits. For instance, numerous studies prove that getting a sufficient amount of sleep each night helps you to avoid serious health conditions such as diabetes, heart attacks, heart disease, and obesity. Some of the reasons you should prioritize sleep in your New Year’s resolutions include:
- Better heart health
- Reduced inflammation
- Strengthens immune system
- Lower blood pressure
- Reduced stress
- Sharper thinking
- Boosts mood
- Improves memory and retention
- Enhanced productivity
- Improves metabolism
- Reduces premature aging
- Improves weight control
There’s one more big benefit to adults getting more sleep: a good night’s sleep also promotes a healthier sex life. One poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found that 26 percent of people reported that their sex lives are suffering because they are simply “too tired.” And, in men, it has been found that sleep deprivation is connected to lower testosterone levels.
If you want to set and keep a New Year’s resolution to sleep more, it’s important to set small but specific goals that help build healthy sleep habits. Establishing a sleep hygiene routine makes a great start to a resolution. For example, try sticking to a set bedtime at least 3 days a week, then increasing from there. Limiting your screen time before bed can also make a substantial difference to getting a good night’s sleep. Whatever your approach, taking small steps towards your goal to prioritize sleep makes you more likely to succeed in the long run.
Ready to get better sleep but not sure how to approach it? Have questions about sleep disorders? Ask a Sleep Coach, and get on the path to better sleep and better health in 2022.
Additional reading: Why Do We Need Sleep?
