How Sleep Affects You

Sleeping well is a necessity for optimum bodily function. If you need an alarm clock, or wake-up call in the morning you are not getting enough sleep. A good night's sleep will help you enjoy retirement. New reports indicate that more sleep contributes to a happier, more fulfilled life.

Tired people are more moody and have less patience. You’re not going to be a fun date… and you’re going to have far less satisfaction in your relationship. It's true. Studies show that over 75% of individuals with sleep problems have admitted they aren't happy in their marriages. And over 37% of married couples say that they have less sex (less than once a week) because they don't get enough sleep.

A lack of adequate sleep also suppresses your immune function, which leads to increased infection and illnesses. It also causes car accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that sleepy drivers cause at least 200,000 accidents every year. During work, a lack of sleep impairs memory, reaction time, and alertness. In fact, inadequate sleep causes problems similar to drinking too much alcohol and costs employers an estimated $18 billion annually in lost productivity.

If you are grumpy regularly, you are fighting to stay awake at your desk, you doze off while watching TV, you get fewer than 6 hours of sleep a day, or you feel unusually tired after lunch it’s safe to assume you are not getting enough sleep.

It's time to form good sleep habits if this is a problem you have. Avoid things that stimulate the brain for an hour before bedtime. Instead, do something relaxing an hour or two before bedtime.

Don’t watch television in bed, or at least don’t watch for more than a fifteen minutes. Record those “can’t miss” late night shows and watch them earlier the next evening. You need to train your brain to tell your body it's time to sleep when you get into bed, not for anything else. Your bed should be used for three things; sleeping, recouperating, and sex.

Don’t overeat ...or go to bed hungry. Drink a glass of warm milk but DON'T drink alcohol close to your bedtime. Alcohol can make you sleepy, but it is actually considered a stimulant and will cause restless sleep that will wake you up, or give you nightmares and headaches.

Exercise earlier in the day, not close to the time you want to go to sleep.

For best sleep results, your brain also needs adequate levels of magnesium and calcium... 200-400 mg of magnesium and 500 mg of calcium taken thirty minutes before you retire is best. Over the counter sleep aids are helpful and in most cases will not cause harm even if you use them fairly often.