The Bright Side
with Gail Northgrave
Building a wall of defense
How would you like to increase your energy and stop a few wrinkles at the same time? It is possible and you won’t need any expensive creams, injections or store bought remedies. This RX won’t cost you a penny.
This miracle cure is sleep. According to scientists the majority of us are not getting enough of it. They have determined that adults need a minimum of seven hours, preferably eight hours of sleep every night. Yet, recent studies show that 67% of us are sleep-deprived. Consequently, we are being robbed of our health.
Besides being more irritable, sleep-deprived persons frequently suffer from anxiety and depression. In addition, they are less optimistic, regularly prone to disease, have impaired mental processes and decreased sex drive.
On the brighter side, adequate sleep not only improves our immune system, but slows the aging process and its visible effects on our body. Furthermore, our patience level will rise thus enhancing our relationships.
In order to insure a good nights sleep experts agree that it’s important to exercise 30 minutes, three to four times a week, establish a regular bedtime and eliminate caffeine after 3 p.m. Moreover, a good mattress, pillow and a comfortable room temperature, will influence sleep.
Nevertheless, whether it’s a sick child keeping us awake, business, a family crisis or insomnia we all have those days and times when it is almost impossible to get our full eight hours. Rather than denying ourselves of sleep benefits we can plan a guilt free nap in the middle of the afternoon. In fact, nappers are in good company as many famous people took midday power breaks. While John D. Rockefeller snoozed every afternoon in his office, Gene Autry dozed for an hour between performances. Likewise, Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison, and Napoleon Bonaparte grabbed an afternoon shut eye.
We all want to stay healthy, outsmart the aging process and outwit lethargy. Thus, adequate sleep or planned power naps will help us build a wall of defense both for our bodies and our minds.