Most people would say that they slept pretty well in their childhood years. As we age, we are preoccupied with tv, video games, the internet, phone calls, etc and we can’t seem to sleep as much, once we become teenagers. When we get older and enter college, we have to cram for tests, and stay up long hours to complete assignments, so sleep goes on the back burner. Once we’re out of college, our sleep patterns may begin to level out to some degree, but then again when we become stressed from work, we sometimes can’t sleep as well. Well, that was all in the past, but things really change once you become a parent. Did you expect that at that point you’d have plenty of sleep?
The first year of a child’s life, they pretty much wake up throughout the night, but it gets better when they’re closer to one year old. Then later, when the child is past about a year old, their sleep pattern gets better and they might not wake up during the night, except on rare occasion. But then, we’re so busy with all the little things we couldn’t get done when the little person was with awake, that we want to do those tasks in the peace and tranquility, of a quiet home.
Then again, doing so sets you back again because the longer you stay awake to do your tasks, the less you’ll sleep, and you can be sure you’ll get woken up pretty groggily and exhausted in the morning, because you needed more sleep.
Recent studies show that lack of sleep heightens the risk of a variety of major illnesses including: cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
But, how much sleep do we need exactly? Well, it’s safe to say that every person is different. Some people may only need 7 hours of sleep to function well, while others may need as much as 10 hours of sleep to function properly. It doesn’t mean that certain people are lazy or incapable of doing much, it just means that their bodies are in need of more sleep, to catch up on the rest that their body is lacking.
A great tip to get your mind prepared for sleep is to turn off most of the lights (in your home), turn down the tv or stereo, brush your teeth and get ready for bed (from nearly an hour before bed), all to send the signal to your brain that sleep is impending. Some people even choose to lay in bed, read a good book, and eventually their eyelids will feel like they have 50 pound weights on them, and they’ll slowly drift into a peaceful slumber.
Either way, get the amount of sleep you need, by going to bed around the same time nightly. Don’t drink any caffeine within a few hours of bedtime, keep things calm and quiet to signal your brain that sleep is on it’s way, and be selfish for once, and get all the sleep you need.
