The Power of Sleep

A HEALTHY YOU

The Power of Sleep

Why Quality Rest Matters for Your Health

March is Sleep Awareness Month – a time to recognize the vital role sleep plays in overall health and well-being and to explore new strategies for improving sleep quality.

The importance of adequate sleep is gaining more attention. Research from Johns Hopkins and other institutions suggests that chronic poor sleep may increase the risk of developing dementia, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and even cancers of the breast, colon, ovaries, and prostate.

According to a 2020 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), 14.5% of adults report difficulty falling asleep, while 17.8% struggle to stay asleep. As people age, they tend to have less trouble falling asleep but are more likely to wake up frequently during the night. This can be due to various factors, including stress and anxiety. Feeling overwhelmed can make it harder to fall asleep or lead to middle-of-the-night wakeups.

Hormonal changes also significantly impact sleep, particularly for women. Fluctuations in hormone levels – whether during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum, or menopause – can disrupt sleep patterns.

Tips for Better Sleep

Quality sleep is essential for overall well-being. Here are some simple but effective strategies to improve your sleep hygiene and support optimal health:

Limit screen time before bed. Blue light exposure can interfere with deep sleep.

Establish a consistent sleep routine. Going to bed and waking up at the same time daily helps regulate your body clock.

Avoid caffeine in the afternoon. Ideally, stop consuming caffeine after 3 PM.

Minimize alcohol and fluids before bed. Alcohol disrupts sleep, and limiting liquids 1-2 hours before bedtime reduces nighttime awakenings.

Listen to your hunger cues If you're hungry before bed, a small protein-rich snack can help balance blood sugar. Foods like shrimp, tuna, cod, and halibut contain tryptophan, a natural sleep enhancer.

Boost magnesium intake. Magnesium plays a role in producing melatonin, the sleep-regulating hormone. Foods rich in magnesium include avocados, nuts, bananas, and fatty fish like salmon and halibut.

Get daily sunlight and exercise. Sunlight exposure early in the day helps reset your circadian rhythm, while regular exercise promotes better sleep.

Optimize your sleep environment. A cool, dark room (around 70°F) promotes better sleep. Eliminate light sources like alarm clocks or use blackout curtains or an eye mask for uninterrupted rest.

By prioritizing healthy sleep habits, you can enhance overall wellness and improve both physical and mental health.

Other Resources

Talking With Your Doctor About Hormonal Insomnia

This article offers valuable insights into how hormones affect sleep and strategies for managing sleep disruptions.

Source: Healthline

Your Guide to Healthy Sleep

Thanks to sleep research studies done over the past several decades, it is now known that sleep has distinct stages that cycle throughout the night in predictable patterns.

Sources: National Institutes of Health | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

About the Author

Cynthia Conigliaro is the Sales and Marketing Director for Organizational Wellness and Learning Systems (OWLS), a consulting firm focused on employee emotional wellbeing and organizational culture analysis. For almost five years she has worked alongside the owner of OWLS to design and implement mental health related employee wellness trainings and workshops for organizations across the United States.

For almost 15 years she has had her own health and wellness coaching business. Cynthia works with individuals and groups and runs virtual and in person workshops for employees on a variety of health and wellness topics relating to both physical and mental health. She is an Infinite Possibilities Certified Trainer and a Resilience and Life Coach. She has been a volunteer with the Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts (WWCMA) for the past 4 years where she sits on both the Programs Committee and the Marketing Committee. Cynthia has her Master of Social Work and her Master of Business Administration from Boston College and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Spanish from College of the Holy Cross.

A HEALTHY YOU