Sleep is so important to our health, and according to the CDC, about 1/3 of Americans aren’t getting enough. Adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep nightly, and while you can try for an average, what we’ve actually seen in some studies is that some of the negative effects aren’t necessarily outweighed by making up for sleep debt at the end of the week.
So why is sleep so important?
Adequate sleep supports a healthy immune system.
It supports a healthy memory and sharp thinking
It keeps stress hormones in check
It helps stabilize our mood
It supports a healthy weight
It decreases inflammation
It decreases our sensitivity to pain
It helps our body repair and heal
So, what happens when we don’t get enough sleep?
We can be more at risk for infections.
We are more likely to have health problems like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease
We are more likely to have mood symptoms
We are more likely to overeat
We are more likely to age faster
We have decreased concentration and memory
So, what’s the first step? Committing to getting enough sleep. Set a bedtime and stick to it. It’s important to reduce blue light exposure about 1 hour before you want to go to bed, and ideally you’ll have a routine that relaxes your mind. You want to have a room that’s as dark as possible, and it’s best to have a cool environment.
Typically it’s not recommended to lie in bed for more than 20-30 minutes trying to sleep as this teaches your brain that bed is a place to try to sleep rather than to sleep. If you’re lying there trying to sleep, it’s best to get up and do something relaxing that doesn’t involve blue light and return to bed when you begin to feel yourself become very tired or nodding off.
There are many things that can interfere with sleep, including certain health conditions like sleep apnea. If you are truly having trouble with sleep, see your physician.
I’m super excited to join Karla J. Aghedo for another wellness weekend to Refocus as we continue this marathon inside of the COVID-19 pandemic. So much has gone on the backburner in 2020 due to this pandemic, and I’ve been tasked with reminding us all of some important things to add back to the checklist to ensure our physical health.
I’d like to start with a couple of important concepts. First, you get out of your body what you put into it. Keep that in mind as we move throughout each concept. Things do not necessarily come easily, but you get what you give. Equally, if not more importantly, I’m about to lay out a bunch of information. It can seem overwhelming–like I’m telling you you have to be perfect. The truth is there are tons of ways we could be taking better care of ourselves, but perfectionism is not something I want to encourage. Remember, in our journey of self improvement, imperfection is okay, giving up is not.
I do like a good pneumonic–so here goes–let’s REFOCUS!
R: Rest enough.
E: Exercise consistently.
F: Feed our bodies well.
O: stay One step ahead.
C: Control chronic illnesses.
US: We are just as important as everyone else.
Rest Enough
We live in a society that doesn’t value rest enough–we brag about how much we don’t sleep, how little vacation we take, all while we have more diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks and mental health problems. We need rest. And contrary to popular opinion, it actually makes us more productive. In the book Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang explores many different types of rest and their importance. He gives a very brief summary in this article where he discusses concepts like starting an early morning routine, walking–particularly outdoors, napping, stopping work at the right time, and of course, sleep. I also like to include mindfulness and meditation in this area. All of these things are important foundations on which to build our physical health.
Exercise Consistently
There are soooo many benefits to exercise discussed here and here.
I always encourage my patients to do something that they find enjoyable–it doesn’t have to be the gym or running or weight lifting. It can be turning on youtube and learning the latest line dance! Just do something to get your heart pumping. Ideally, if you are doing something that would be considered moderate intensity cardio (that is, something that keeps your heart rate at 50-70% of your maximum heart rate for the duration of your work out), then you want to get about 150 minutes of exercise in weekly. If you are getting your heart rate between 70-85% of your maxiumum heart rate, or performing vigorous cardio exercise, you don’t have to do as much. You should also be incorporating strength and stretch into this program.
Eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are satisfied, not full
Decreasing your sugars significantly
Try not to drink your sugars (smoothie exception, but be careful!)
Food is medicine. Eating well helps support our immune system, keep us at healthier weights, prevent and reverse metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance which causes diabetes mellitus type 2, prevents and reverses hypertension, prevents cardiovascular disease–the list keeps going.
(Stay) One Step Ahead
By this, I mean make sure you do your preventative care!
This year it is of utmost importance to get your flu vaccine. I did a previous blog post here about the safety and importance of this vaccine. However in the midst of COVID, it is even more important to make sure we are protected. Why? Because the flu typically fills up our hospitals and ICUs during flu season. They are already more full than usual due to COVID patients. The same thing that cause widespread lock downs at the beginning of the year will cause widespread lockdowns again if we can’t contain hospital admissions. Also, I truly believe if we ever see influenza and COVID infect the same person, it will be unequivocally deadly–this is not something I want to see. Get vaccinated.
Depending on your age, you should be getting cervical cancer screening, breast cancer screening, colon cancer screening, osteoporosis screening. You may need lung cancer screening. You also should consider continuing to get your eye and dental exams depending on your health status.
Control Chronic Illness
One thing we have seen many people do is put off regular physicians appointment out of fear of contracting COVID-19. It is important that if you have chronic health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, that you are scheduling your follow up appointments with your physician. You want to stay ahead of these health problems since poor control can have you end up in the hospital and possibly with infections. Consider a virtual visit if this is being offered, but also, many offices have come up with procedures to make in person visits safer for their patients. Make sure you are completing your blood work, taking your medications as prescribed, and doing all the lifestyle pieces above to optimize your health.
US: So important, I had to make it plain
We need to be on this list. While all these things are about us, I find it needs to be said that we are a priority. So many times my patients “can’t” do the things above because they are too busy prioritizing someone else over themselves. Our health is just as important. We are just as important. I sometimes say that you can’t take care of X if you aren’t taking care of yourself, but truthfully, God made you in the same special way He made everyone else. You deserve. Put yourself on the list–high up on it.
