Benefits of a Healthy Sleep Schedule

How much sleep did you get last night?

The workplace can be dangerous. You need an awake and active brain to make sure that you can complete your duties and that everyone stays safe. In addition to helping you think more clearly, a healthy sleep schedule can improve your physical and mental health and lower your risk of serious health problems like heart disease and diabetes.

Just like your body needs food to run, your brain needs sleep to run. While you sleep, your brain repairs parts of itself so it can work properly. When you don't sleep for long enough, your brain won't have time to repair itself, which causes neurons to malfunction and negatively impacts your performance at work greatly. During sleep, your body also releases helpful hormones that repair injuries and cells, control your body, and digest food.

To ensure that their brain can work properly, adults should sleep between seven and nine hours per night. The CDC states that adults who get less than seven hours of sleep are more prone to or have more health issues than those who get more than seven hours. Not only does time contribute, but so does the amount of sleep cycles. Adults should have four to six cycles a night.

The average sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes, and has four stages:

• Non-rapid eye movement 1, or the transition into or out of sleep cycles
• Non-rapid eye movement 2, or light sleep
• Non-rapid eye movement 3, or deep sleep
• Rapid eye movement, or when your brain becomes most active; this is where you get dreams from. This is also a part of deep sleep

Many people suffer from the effects of not getting enough sleep. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 40% of Americans fall asleep during the day without meaning to. The American Academy of Sleep medicine states, more than 35% of Americans get less than the suggested amount of sleep, and 1 in 20 people have fallen asleep at the wheel.

Some ways to improve your sleep schedule is to:

• Create a sleep pattern by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day
• Turn the lights off at least 10 minutes before going to bed
• Avoid taking naps during the day
• Put away electronics anywhere from 30-60 minutes before going to bed
• Read before bed to calm your mind
• Avoid caffeine later in the day

If you still are struggling with sleep, you can try over the counter melatonin medicines. Melatonin is a chemical your brain produces when it's time to sleep to keep your circadian rhythm; it can often make you sleepy. If you are still having issues, plan a visit with your doctor, insomnia can be to blame. Remember, not all of these will work for everyone, and these are just some tips to keep in mind.

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