Here we go. The holidays are here, and for those of us who are already sleep deprived; you’ll just feel like saying good-bye to sleep all together until January 2nd or 3rd! Presents to buy, parties to attend, parties to organize, cards to send, awe geez the list goes on and on plus add on your daily routine that doesn’t take a vacation; you feel, and should feel, exhausted! BUT you need to sleep. That is a mantra you need to keep telling yourself, and get in the habit of taking at least 7 hours of sleep a night, and here’s why:
- Sleep promotes creativity and problem solving skills. So when your boss, or your nanny, or husband, or life partner etc. throws a wrench at you you’ll have the ability to work it out with a lot less drama.
I can spot a parent a hundred miles away that hasn’t had enough sleep. They are stressed, stressed, stressed, stressed. That comes from the inability to sleep enough, and not having the ability to problem solve effectively.
- You’ll be healthier if you get enough sleep. It has been proven that white blood cells ramp up their circulation during sleep. Studies have proven that a person who gets less then 7 hours of sleep a night is nearly 3 times more likely to get a cold when exposed to a virus.
So thinking after your little ones go to sleep is a great time to catch up on Facebook, twitter, your favorite TV show that you DVR, or even chores probably isn’t the best use of your time. Read a book or a magazine article for about a half-an-hour and then go to bed, at least by 10 if you’re a parent.
- You can remember stuff. When you get enough sleep your brain sweeps away any waste materials with Cerebrospinal fluids. This only happens when your sleeping; unfortunately it doesn’t erase any memories of accidentally seeing something you wish you hadn’t (I wish it did). What else is cool is that during sleep the brain sorts through the days activities and chooses what to go ahead and upload to long term memory and what can be forgotten (still it will not let go of that annoying thing you saw and wish you hadn’t). The brain will also help you develop new skills more readily while you’re sleeping, like language and even golf swings. When you practice something during the day get replayed in your brain during sleep. So amazing!
- It boosts creativity. Yup, when you sleep your brain looks for connections between new information and existing knowledge and links it up! This allows you to come up with ideas that you would never come up with when you’re awake. Who knew the brains was this AMAZING! (I didn’t)
- You can maintain a healthy weight better. Yes, you read that correctly. You can regulate your weight better if you get enough sleep. Your body is still burning calories, and sleep is associated with a faster metabolism. If you ever notice that when you know you’re going to be up all night, or you have already been up all night a really sweet thing staring you in the face looks that much more appealing it is because you will crave a quick hit of energy= sugar. So sleep, not all day of course because there is a balance to everything.
- You’ll feel less stress, and conquer the battle with stress more easily. It has been proven by scientists that if you’re well rested your brain is better at saying whoa there you’re freaking out over nothing, or you’re drowning in a cup of water. If you go to bed, and get a good nights sleep you have a much better chance of waking up calm too.
I know. You’re a working parent, and this article has just given you one more thing to feel guilty about. Stop…go take a nap; you’ll feel better!
