Last night I promised myself I’d make it to go to sleep early. Well, reasonably early for my usual habit. And as per usual, I failed. A lot of people complain that they don’t get enough rest or that they’re only able to sleep for 4-5h a day (oh I wish I could do that sometimes!). Nevertheless, good sleep is so much more important than you think and luckily for us, such a pleasant activity!

Regarding the amount of hours, even though you probably heard that 8h is the perfect number for adults, research says that sleep need is individual. They add that it is more important to know how much is too much or too little for you and not to go outside that frame.

But one thing is for sure, sleeping too little is not good at all. It can cause decrease of attention, reaction and memory, increased risk of diabetes and heart problems, increase of body mass index, just to mention few.

Make sleep a priority! 

It is fundamental to establish a consistent schedule of sleep, finish your dinner at least 2-3h before going to bed, sleep in a dark, cool, quiet and comfortable environment, make sure your mattress, pillows and linen are of good quality, exercise regularly and if you find it hard to go to bed before 3am, try to create a relaxing routine, such as listening to soothing music, having a nice bath, doing some (easy!) stretches for your contracted muscles or if you’re worried about a job interview, exam, date or anything that keeps your eyes wide open and rolling around in bed for ages, try to make some simple preparations for the day and writing few short notes as it helps to relax and stop worrying. Also, when I was a kid, if I was sad or worried in the evening, my mum used to tell me to sleep on it because your problems will never be such terrible problems in the morning and that’s so true.
 

Thanks to a little bit of effort and consistency (very important – consistency is key for anything you do in life) you’ll get all these awesome benefits:

§  It improves your memory skills. A process called consolidation helps you remember and settle what you’ve learnt during the day

§  It increases your creativity. When you’ve got a presentation to do the morning after, your brain is already analysing  and creating structures to help you out while you sleep

§  Come on, everybody knows how hard it was to be at history lectures at 9am, with your eyes going crazy, trying to hide behind the books, doing like you’re writing or by simply sticking your head in the rucksack. Not worth it!

§  If you practice sports, you’ll be happy to know that a good night sleep decreases fatigue and increases stamina

§  Helps live longer, decreases the risk of getting depression, you’ll look better, you’ll be less likely to get ill and finally, you’ll be in a great mood!

§  Lack of sleep also kills sex drive so guys, let’s make today the day to start a happy life by enjoying (safe) sex and sleeping well tight from now on!