This week mark's America's National Sleep Awareness Week. Many of us consider our sleep time precious, and this week is intended to celebrate the health benefits of good sleep habits and raise awareness of sleep-related illnesses and health risks. 

Speaking of good health habits, your body needs enough sleep time to move through the various sleep stages throughout the night in order to be productive and healthy. Sleep needs vary from person to person. Adults usually need seven to eight hours every night – while school-aged children and teens tend to need at least nine hours.

Benefits of Sound Sleep

• Help Fight Infections: During our sleep, a specific hormone increases that works to fight various infections. A good night’s sleep might help you from getting sick – or may help you improve your health if you’re already sick.

• Combat Weight Issues: The less sleep you get, the more likely you are to be overweight, eat foods high in calories and carbohydrates and develop diabetes.

Sleep Tips

• Don’t Lie in Bed Awake: If you’re lying awake in bed after some time, get up and do a relaxing activity until you feel sleepy again. The anxiety of not being able to fall asleep will make it take longer to get to sleep.

• Avoid Alcoholic Beverages: Alcohol may seem to help you get to sleep faster, but it keeps you in the light stages of sleep. After the initial effects of alcohol wear off, people tend to wake up in the middle of the night.
  
  
• Stick to a Schedule: Try to fall asleep and wake up around the same times each day, even on the weekends. Keeping a regular schedule helps regulate the body's clock and increases the likelihood that you will fall asleep and stay asleep each night.

• Leave the Phone Alone: Your sleeping room should be dark, quiet and free from distractions. The use of a mobile device around bedtime has been associated with longer times to fall asleep and worse sleep quality. Consider leaving your phone in another room, or simply avoid using it as you prepare to go to bed.