Like most people, I love sleeping!  Many of us aren’t actually getting enough, however.  Healthy People 2020, (a government initiative which provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans) reports that poor sleep health is an issue with 25 percent of adults admitting to inadequate sleep for at least 15 out of every 30 days.  Sleep isn’t something we do just because we’re lazy or bored.  It’s integral to our health and wellbeing.

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch mentions a number of reasons we should be sure to get enough sleep (but it’s good advice for the dudes too):

·         Safety: We are more prone to accidents and mistakes when we are tired.  Ever driven while drowsy and felt like you were walking through Jell-O?  Well, there’s your proof…

·         Memory/Learning:  Memory consolidation (the process through which the brain commits new info it’s been exposed to, to memory) and concentration are better when we’ve had adequate rest.

·         Disease/Illness: Our immune systems are negatively affected when we haven’t had enough sleep, leaving you more prone to common illnesses like the flu.

·         Mood: A loss of sleep can leave us more impatient and irritable.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reports sleep as being “an essential aspect of health promotion and chronic disease prevention.”    No wonder, with chronic “short sleep” (less than 6 hours a night) being linked to chronic diseases, disorders, and health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, depression, and hypertension (high blood pressure). 

So, make sure you get enough sleep.  Sleep, taking both timing and duration into account, affects a number of functions within our bodies that are of utmost importance to our complete health and well-being.  If your body is telling you that it’s tired, then give it what it needs.  Whether you are in your 20s, 30s, 40s or older, your body needs sufficient rest in order for it to do all that you need it to.  True health is not just about the foods we put (or don’t put) into ourselves, but how we treat the whole package.

Keep that body right! You’ve only got one!

Shari Grant is a Registered Nurse in South Florida, where she was raised in a (very!) Jamaican home. Some of the loves of her life are words (both reading and writing them) and missions work. She enjoys spending time with friends and family while living for a good laugh - one that makes her belly ache and her eyes water. Her bottom line goal in life is to make the Lord smile and maybe even serve Him up a chuckle from time to time, too.