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Getting a healthy amount of sleep is crucial for overall wellness. When we don't get enough sleep or experience disruptions in our sleep, it can lead to daytime drowsiness, concentration problems, and increases in blood pressure, stress hormones, and weight. Quality sleep is especially important for students as the brain needs to process and retain the learning that occurs during the day. Poor sleep can also increase the risk of serious illnesses such as diabetes or heart failure. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 95% of people need 7-9 hours of sleep per night. When people are sleep deprived, defined as 5 hours or less of sleep a night, they experience psychomotor impairment equivalent to being legally drunk.
A great night’s sleep starts first thing in the morning! To create the best opportunity to enjoy consistently good sleep, follow these tips:
When you don’t get good sleep, everything else in life suffers. If you find yourself struggling to get refreshing sleep, here are some suggestions:
Daylight Saving Time was created to allow workers to experience more daylight in the evenings between March and November. In March, clocks are moved “forward” and in November they are moved “back” to Standard Time. A growing body of research notes that these shifts have impacts on our health and even our safety. The transition in spring is more impactful since people lose an hour of sleep. However, the shift in fall still has negative impacts, likely because many people stay up later since they know they will gain an extra hour overnight.
Approximately 55% of people experience tiredness following the change in March. According to the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins, increases in heart attacks, strokes, suicides, mood disturbances, and hospital admissions occur with time change. Increases in motor vehicle collisions and workplace accidents have also been documented during the time of the seasonal clock change.
Our body’s circadian rhythms are largely controlled by cycles of light and darkness. Changing our clocks leads to a misalignment between our circadian cycle and our light exposure and activities. This results in sleep difficulties and physiological changes. Most people adjust to the time change after a few days or a week, but you can ease your transition with a couple of simple changes.
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