Why sleep matters the most, its benefits and how to improve sleep

This is Part 1 in a 5 part series on the Basics of Health. We love ozone and it’s amazing as a therapy in healing illness or just biohacking. We here at Drsozone.com love learning about all the cutting edge biohacking technologies.  But it’s easy to forget that the most foundational health practices are, in fact, free. We’ll be covering these basics in the next few months. We hope you find them a useful reminder of the power in the simple basics.

·       Sleep

·       Sunlight 

·       Grounding 

·       Air purifiers  

·       Clean water 

Sleep is a basic function that we all need to be paying more attention to. Just like eating well and getting exercise, getting quality sleep affects our bodies and minds in a myriad of ways –– which means we need to do our best to prioritize it! To help toward that end, we're going to use this post to dig into why specifically sleep is so important, and what you should do if you want to improve yours.

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Why Sleep Matters

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It improves productivity, focus, and concentration

If you suffer from brain fog of any kind, look at your sleep schedule. When you get inadequate or poor sleep, chances are your productivity and focus are slipping as a result (and you're starting to get that foggy feeling). This is not merely one of those things you hear from parents and teachers growing up, either. Research has consistently shown, in various ways, that sleep deprivation negatively impacts cognitive performance (though interestingly enough, a recent study by the Washington University School Of Medicine also suggested that too much sleep can also be detrimental).

‍It benefits mental health

As we pointed out in the post ‘5 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health in a Week’, getting good sleep is crucial in this area as well. It helps to boost both our short- and long-term memory, and reduces stress levels. So when you feel like you’re being crushed under the day-to-day weight that life heaps onto your shoulders, make it a priority to get more and/or better quality sleep.

It could reduce your chances of diabetes

According to a study by the American Diabetes Association, the optimal amount of sleep to reduce the chance of developing type 2 diabetes is 7-8 hours, with less (or more) raising risk. If we sleep too little, we’re more likely to overeat to compensate for the loss of energy over the day. If we sleep too much, however, we’re leading a more sedentary lifestyle than what’s recommended, which is a risk in and of itself.

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How to Improve Your Sleep 

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Reduce your work hours

Many American employees are overworking themselves, surpassing the classic 40-hour work week. However, it seems that even 40 hours a week is too much from a health perspective. SymptomFind wrote about the benefits of reducing work hours just this past fall, and named poor eating habits and reduced sleep as the chief consequences of being overworked. If possible then, find a way to reduce the number of hours you work –– even if it means a dreaded negotiation with your boss. Your health depends on it.

Reduce your caffeine intake

If you drink more than just a couple of cups of joe a day, or if you drink caffeine late in the evening, you may be setting yourself up for a rough night. Not only this, but that rough night leads to a self-perpetuating cycle: You're more tired the next day, drink more caffeine to stay alert and productive, and wind up getting poor sleep again, and so on. Cutting caffeine entirely is not necessary for everyone, but reducing intake and avoiding caffeine later in the day is generally wise.‍

Keep your schedule consistent

An irregular schedule for sleeping and waking is going to throw off your circadian rhythm –– which means it’ll be more difficult to fall asleep and wake up at an appropriate hour. Create a schedule and stick to it (yes, even on the weekends!). This will help you in the long run when you need to fall asleep at a specific time in order to get your recommended 7-8 hours of sleep.

Keep your phone far away from your bed

Do you go to bed only to spend the next few hours browsing weird parts of the internet or playing games? Well, you're not alone. PBS posted a study on this phenomenon in teens, which found that the number of young people reporting inadequate sleep rose by 22% between 2012 and 2015 –– right around when smartphones took off. And as many of us can attest, it's not only the teens who are losing sleep due to phone activity. Simply put, if you keep your brain active when you’re supposed to be sleeping it will mess with your ability to fall asleep. So instead, keep your phone on the dresser or somewhere else in the room where you’ll still hear your alarm in the morning, but you won’t be tempted to check it at night.

We hope these tips will help you improve your quality of sleep and get you on the right track to a happier and healthier life!

Post solely for the use of drsozone.com By Daisy Turner

Looking for more help with your sleep routine? These Items below may help you get some more zzzz’s:

Caspar Glow Lamp Self-dimming light

LectroFan Evo White Noise Sound Machine To block out your noisy neighbors

Decaf Coffee with Reishi & Chaga Mushrooms  Switch out your afternoon coffee

Ancient Minerals Bath Salts Take a warm bath

Chilipad Sleep Systems Cooler temps help keep you asleep.

True Dark Glasses Block the Blue Light

Gravity Weighted Blanket The weight is proven to help sleep more soundly.

The Oura Ring Track your sleep but other health markers as well. 

**We are not affiliated with any of these companies nor receive commission for sales.  We list them here because people have found help with these.