Will 2018 Be Your Year Of Rest?

December 19, 2017
We all tend to make resolutions in January, whether to lose weight, exercise more, or be better with our finances.  But what about the resolution to sleep more?  With sleep at the core of so much of your health and well-being, did you know a visit to one of the best mattress stores in Orange County might just be the best first step of all?

 

Be More Patient

Did you resolve to be less snappish and more patient with your family and friends this year?  Do you feel bad about raising your voice, or making snarky or sarcastic comments?  Consider whether perhaps your impatience isn’t entirely a character flaw: did you know that lack of sleep has a profound effect on both your mood and your ability to control what you say?  If you want to be able to watch your words more carefully this year, evaluate your sleep habits.  If you routinely get less than 6 hours of sleep per night, you’re going to find it difficult to be patient no matter how much you want to.

Have More Willpower

Willpower is important for everything from making good food choices to being smart with your spending, but it’s also a finite resource.  Being under-slept keeps the part of your brain responsible for willpower from recovering, and this makes it especially difficult to stick with your commitments.  You want to be able to resist that doughnut at work, or keep putting your money in a savings account?  Get to bed on time.

Balance Your Weight

You already know that missing a night of sleep makes you grumpy, but did you know it can also make you hungrier?  When combined with lowered willpower, the hormonal disruption lack of sleep can cause can often equate to a massive attack of the munchies.  Conversely, getting adequate amounts of sleep has been shown to balance your hormones, and people who sleep at least 8 hours every night are, on average, lighter than people who don’t.

How To Get More Sleep

Be sure that your mattress is in good shape, avoiding restless nights full of tossing and turning to get comfortable.  Once that’s sorted, remember to practice good sleep hygiene:  Sleep in a dark, cool room, avoid alcohol and caffeine, avoid screens 1-2 hours before bedtime, and go to bed and get up at the same time every day.

This year, your most important resolution of all might be to get to bed to time and get enough sleep.  In fact, this resolution might enable you to keep all the rest.  This New Year, we raise our glass of champagne to you–and to your good sleep in 2018.

Sources:

Surprising Health Benefits Of Sleep – www.consumerreports.org

How To Sleep Better – www.helpguide.org