A healthy diet and regular exercise are key to a healthy lifestyle. However, too many of us are not getting enough sleep. Prolonged sleep deprivation and stress can wreak havoc on our immune system and put us at risk of chronic disorders including depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases. Getting enough sleep and eating healthy are two of the best self-care acts you can practice to decrease stress and improve your mental and physical health.
Make exercise and sleep a priority and aim for a minimum of seven to eight hours of sleep to improve your health. Also, manage your stress with exercise, therapy, or meditation with controlled breathing techniques. Exercise can help by allowing you to shift your thoughts away from your problems. Slow breathing exercises that are paired with meditation and yoga poses can really help you feel relaxed, which can lower the parasympathetic nervous system. It’s no wonder the business of sleep is a multi-million-dollar business.
The National Sleep Foundation recently published an article to help all of us determine how much sleep we need for our age. The foundation based its report on two years of research and has provided age-specific categories with variations that allows for individual sleep preferences. So, how much sleep do you need for your age? Check out the article to find out.
Sources:
Cleveland Clinic. (2022, March). What Happens When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep and How Much You Really Need A Night). Retrieved from: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/happens-body-dont-get-enough-sleep/
National Sleep Foundation. (2022, March). Americans Can Do More During the Day to Help Their Sleep at Night. Retrieved from: https://www.thensf.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/NSF-2022-Sleep-in-America-Poll-Report.pdf