Sleep is essential to our health and well-being. When we sleep our body rests and repairs.
Getting good sleep can protect your mental health, improve your quality of life and lower your risk of injury. Sleep can also¹,²:
- Boost immunity
- Improve your mood, memory and productivity
- Help your body to regulate weight
- Improve your sex drive
- Increase your energy
- Prevent anxiety and depression
The type and duration of sleep you need changes during your lifetime, and the amount varies person-to-person. Shift work³ can impact your ability to sleep as well.
The amount of recommended sleep ranges from 12-16 hours a day for infants to 7-8 hours each night for adults to be well rested.
Here are some tips to help you get better sleep:
- Develop a bedtime routine
- Avoid stimulants like caffeine and nicotine
- Be physically active during the day
- Avoid large meals, alcohol, and strenuous exercise just before bedtime
- Short daytime naps may boost alertness, but may disrupt your nighttime sleep
- Cleveland Clinic: What happens to your body when you don’t get enough
- NHS, UK: Sleep and tiredness sleep
- Cleveland Clinic: Shift Work Sleep Disorder