(Yawn)
Beep Beep!
I’m here to remind you to get a little more
Sleep Sleep!
Yep, mmhmm catchin’ them Z’s
The thing that we need
So hover under the cover
and hit the Reset
But don’t do too much
matter fact take the “E” out…
and just RES(e)T

We hear more and more about the importance of sleep. It is when our body detoxes, our muscles recover, our energy is restored, and our body in general comes back to homeostasis.

I don’t want to lecture about the importance of sleep, but rather provide an outline for you today from which you may learn what the next move is for YOUR own personal sleep story.

A. Here are a few statistics you may or may not be aware of:

• Sleep problems account for about $15.9 billion to national health care costs (1).
• There are 84 classifications of sleep disorders
• The average American sleeps one hour less than in 1942.
• Medical Studies have attributed lack of sleep to many health conditions and cognitive impairment (2)
• 45% of men believe we can train ourselves to need less sleep, a myth that has been proven false through various studies (3)
• Women are more in tune to sleep needs, yet suffer more from lack of sleep than men

B. Do you have a sleep challenge? If so, what is it?

• Not enough
• Not high quality
• Trouble falling asleep
• Inconsistent sleep-wake cycle
• Work a night shift
• Always tired even with ‘enough’ sleep
• Have some sleep-related clinical challenge such as sleep apnea, insomnia, etc.

C. Once you are clear on your challenge, if you are interested in continuing to look for ways to improve your sleep quality, I invite you to look into these resources:

1. The Sleep Revolution by Ariana Huffington
2. Hypnosis Videos to help you sleep
3. A “Better Sleep Guide” by the Better Sleep Council
4. A Resource Guide to Sleep Therapists

This is a topic that I can’t stress enough. I believe just as we all have our own relationship with food and body, we all have our own relationship with sleep… and it’s worth elevating!

I have had the opportunity to experiment with my own personal ideal sleep environment and schedule. And just knowing what works for me is extremely empowering. It’s like working on your financial health by beginning with “how much do I have now?”

I know my body feels best on 9-10 hrs. of sleep a night. I know I do really well when I can take a nap if I get less than 8 hours. I know driving while sleep deprived is NOT a thing I can do. And… I know that I am still in progress working toward prioritizing my sleep needs 🙂

In order to expand and elevate, we need awareness of our current state, AND a willingness to move forward. If the willingness isn’t there, that’s ok. Again, we are all on our own path and when we feel compelled enough to ask for help/make a change/commit to something different… we will.

Sources:

1. http://www.sleepmedsite.com/page/sb/sleep_disorders/sleep_statistics
2. https://www.google.com/#q=sleep+statistics
3. http://bettersleep.org/better-sleep/the-science-of-sleep/sleep-statistics-research/better-sleep-survey

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