Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

Do you think you got enough sleep this past week? Do you wake up each day refreshed and well rested? If not, you are not alone. The Covid-19 virus is affecting the sleep of most people around the world. When you are anxious and concerned about factors outside your control, your body does not rest well. What’s worse is that insufficient sleep is now one of the #1 factor influencing whether or not you will develop Alzheimer’s disease. During sleep, the lymphatic system in your brain kicks into high gear. As you enter deep sleep, this sanitation system cleanses the brain of a sticky, toxic protein linked to Alzheimer’s, known as beta amyloid.

Without sufficient sleep, you fail to get that power cleanse. With each passing night of insufficient sleep, that Alzheimer’s disease risk escalates, like compounding interest on a loan. A lack of sleep also contributes to weight gain and a lack of energy, and none of us want that! One final fact about sleep. If you are averaging 5-6 hours of sleep, versus the recommended 9 hours of sleep, your chances for having an accident increase more than 200%.

There are lots of things to worry about right now and lots of reasons to not be sleeping well, but this week try getting to bed by 10:00 PM and sleep until 7 AM. Shut off the TV by 9 PM. You can record the late shows and watch them later. Use techniques to relax before bed and get a good night’s rest. Your long-term health depends on it!

Something to Think About
Put simply: sleep – a consistent seven-to nine-hour opportunity each night – is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day. Think of it as preventative medicine!

Weekly Activity
Intentionally be sure that you and those you care about get the recommended hours of sleep each day this week and see what a difference it can make in your lives.

Words of Wisdom
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy wealthy and wise. – Benjamin Franklin

Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity. – John F. Kennedy

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. – Hippocrates

If you don’t take care of your body, where are you going to live? – Unknown

Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon. – Doug Larson