2013 Holiday Tip #6: Get Your Rest

Image courtesy of David Castillo Diminici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Many of us don't get enough sleep on a regular basis and it can affect you in the short- and long-term.  In the short-term, you may notice little things like dozing off in the middle of the day or "catching up" on sleep over the weekend.  In the long-term, studies are showing that chronic lack of sleep can be linked to some chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.  Here's a feature from WebMD on the effects of sleep loss.  The average recommendation for an adult is about 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night (that's uninterrupted) in order to give your body enough time to repair and restore.  If you're not getting this amount, think about what keeps you from it.  Check out these Healthy Sleep Tips from the National Sleep Foundation to help you get on track with your sleep habits.  Your sleep may not improve right away, but setting small, realistic goals will help.

Written by Michelle Baglio of Optimal Nutrition and Health.  The information contained in this post is provided for educational purposes only with the understanding that Optimal Nutrition and Health makes no warranties, either expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the information.  Readers are advised not to use information in this post or others found on this website for the treatment or prevention of disease, and it should not be used in place of medical treatment or advice.  Please do not reprint this post for distribution without my permission.  To feature on your website or social media, please link to this post as the original source. 

---