By Rick Banas of BMA Management, Ltd.
If you want a quick indication of just how important sleep is, think about how refreshed you feel after you get a good night’s sleep.
So noted Kelsey Woodrow, of SSM Home Health, as she talked about the “Benefits of Sleep” at the Heritage Woods affordable assisted living community in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.
What amazed me was all the different ways sleep benefits us both physically and mentally.
Sleep helps your body to repair itself and stay healthy. It helps reduce stress, improve memory and keep your blood pressure in check. Since sleep helps regulate the hormone that regulates your appetite, sleep helps control body weight. Sleep also helps reduce the risk of developing Type Two diabetes, long-term mood disorders and depression.
Seven to nine hours of sleep daily is recommended, but you can get too much sleep.
The key to getting a good night sleep is to find out what works best for you, Kelsey said.
She provided the following Tips for Better Sleep:
- Follow a regular sleep schedule. Have a regular bedtime time and wake up time.
- Be smart about napping. Nap in the early afternoon.
- Fight after meal drowsiness.
- Keep your bedroom cool and dark.
- Make sure your bed and bedding are comfortable.
- Eat right. Stay away from big meals at night.
- Avoid drinking too many liquids in the evening.
- Exercise. You will sleep more deeply if you exercise on a regular basis.
- If you have trouble falling asleep or getting back to sleep, make relaxation rather than sleep your goal.
Kelsey also emphasized the value of creating a relaxing bedtime routine.
The routine of tucking our children into bed and reading them a story before lights out is so common place that Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book has a warning printed on the inside front cover that reads “this book is to be read in bed.” The book is intended to put children to sleep.
With Punxsutawney Phil not seeing his shadow yesterday (Feb 2nd) on the 125th Anniversary of Groundhog Day, comments from the creator of the sleeping tips website SleepBetter.org about the movie “Groundhog Day” caught my attention.
The movie offers an offbeat lesson in the benefits of routines in our lives, says Dan Schecter. He certainly does not recommended recurring encounters with groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, but stresses that routine increases the odds for more serene slumber.
I hope this information from Kelsey Woodrow and SSM Home Health is of benefit.
With that Good Night, Sleep Tight, and in light of their recent comeback, Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite.
All affordable assisted living communities managed by BMA Management, Ltd. are certified and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All assisted living communities are licensed and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“BMA Management, Ltd. is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
