We all say we like to sleep, but do we really take the time to think how much time we do sleep?
- Sleep is probably the most important thing we can do for our physical and emotional health.
- Sleep hygiene means being disciplined about a good sleep routine
- Everything seems to come back to the amount of anxiety and stress in your life.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
It’s the first thing we sacrifice, and we lost an hour of it this week: Sleep. But we shouldn't underestimate its importance.
Dr. Daniel Meltzer with Regence BlueShield it’s probably the most important thing we can do for our physical and emotional health.
“I call it the lead domino, sleep is the lead domino to physical well-being to stamina, energy, focus, patience, and to our workouts," said Dr. Meltzer, "and yet it’s the first thing we get rid of.”
Dr. Meltzer likes to talk about what he calls sleep hygiene, which means being as disciplined about a good sleep routine as you would with work, relationships, or exercise.
“Typically, you want to go to bed and wake up relatively at the same time every day including the weekends. Turn the devices off and be mindful of caffeine and alcohol both can affect our sleeping adversely.”
And it seems everything comes back to the amount of anxiety and stress in your life.
“Whether that’s exercise, meditation, whether it’s talking to a friend or a spouse or counselor.”
The better we can control and manage our anxiety and stress, the better sleep we’ll have.
