Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything you need to, and so you create more by staying up late until you drop, and getting up early the next day to get a head start. However, sleep is not an enemy, it’s absolutely essential to your wellbeing and, if you’re still concerned about time management, getting enough sleep will actually make you more productive.
According to a new study from researchers at the University of California-San Francisco, women who slept less than six hours per night had far more inflammation than men who slept that amount. While this doesn’t prove the lack of sleep caused increased inflammation, it does raise questions about how important sleep is to your wellness. Inflammation is seen as an important factor in heart attacks and strokes, and so it’s best to avoid it by getting plenty of sleep.
Aside from this, when you get more sleep you’re more focused and effective the next day. It’s important to embrace a lifestyle that will make you happier and healthier in the short-term, as it may extend your life. What’s the point of utilising a few more hours now, when you’ll end up missing out on years later on. All it takes is getting more than six hours of sleep every night (the recommended amount is seven to nine hours). It’s a small change, but it can make a huge difference to your health and happiness.
Charles Duhigg writes in The Power of Habit that you have the ability to reshape your routine and, thus, your life. You may think you’ve been burning the midnight oil for too long to change anything now, but extinguishing that flame might be easier than you think. According to Duhigg, routines begin with a cue; in this case, wanting to get things done. However, for the routine to develop it also needs to be justified with a reward; the satisfaction of checking something else off the to-do list. This is how you get into a sleepless cycle, but you can use this knowledge to create a better routine. Change your mindset to a new cue; wanting to feel more focused and alert. Then, the reward will be that new feeling, and you’ll get the sleep you need.
Comments are closed.