Your life is a reflection of how you sleep, and how you sleep
is a reflection of your life. ~ Dr. Rafael Pelayo

Doctors and sleep experts now agree that getting a good night’s sleep is vital to maintain your physical health and mental wellbeing. The problem is that for many of us, getting to sleep and sleeping through the night can be difficult.

Most adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night and if we don’t get w restful night, we can feel under-par and exhibit a number of sleep deprivation symptoms the next morning such as lower energy levels, comfort food cravings, forgetfulness, irritability and fatigue.

 

 

 

Studies show that people who get the appropriate amount of sleep on a regular basis tend to live longer (up to 7 years in fact), healthier lives than those who sleep too few or even too many hours each night. This underscores the importance of making restful, healthful sleep a top priority.

A proper sleep is necessary for:

• Good eyesight (vision). If you do not sleep properly at night then you will have defective vision.
• Good memory and learning capacity.
• A strong immune system and makes you less prone to various illnesses.
• Good cognitive function.
• Reducing stress and decreasing hypertension and anxiety.
• Weight loss! Sleep deficient individuals are more likely to be overweight or obese.
• A healthy heart. Lack of proper sleep has been associated with high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, both risk factors for heart attack and stroke.

• Reducing your chances of diabetes – researchers have shown that lack of sleep may lead to type 2 diabetes by affecting how your body processes glucose, which is the carbohydrate your cells use for fuel.

 So how much sleep do you need to stay healthy?

Newborns (0-2 months old)	12-18 hours
Infants (3-11 months old)	14-15 Hours
Toddlers (1-3 years old)	12-14 Hours
Pre-schoolers (3-5 years old)	11-13 Hours
School-aged Children (5-10 years old)	10-11 Hours
Teens (11-17 years old)	8-9 Hours
Adults	7-9 Hours

Share your sleep tips.

Do you have a great tip to share with others who are struggling with getting a good night sleep? What works for you might help someone else.

As always, your interaction with our posts creates a reservoir of wisdom for all our readers to benefit from so please share your thoughts, stories and questions in the comments box below and remember to tweet, like and +1 ~ Thanks

Additional Resources
How Infants, Toddlers, and Parents can get a Good Night’s sleep
Sleep Well (Unlock Your Life) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Sources:
http://www.better-sleep-better-life.com/benefits-of-sleep.html