Early to Bed - Early to Rise
You're eating well, taking your vitamins and exercising regularly, but you're still always tired. The missing piece of the puzzle may be as simple as lack of adequate sleep. Americans are chronically sleep-deprived?ask any working parent!
Sleep is crucial to good health. Sleep is our time to mentally and physically refresh and rejuvenate, to recharge our energy batteries with enough power to get us though the following day. But sleep does more than make you feel rested.
Sleep is the time when the body repairs the damage done to our cells that day. It is also very important for strong immune function. Two studies with healthy volunteers demonstrated suppression of immunological function after one night of modest sleep deprivation. The activity of certain white blood cells and the production of chemicals essential for immune system performance significantly decreased. After a good night's sleep, most indices of immune functioning went back to baseline levels.
About 40% of adults experience sleepiness that interferes with daily activities. Most U.S. adults get less than seven hours of sleep per night during the work week, while research has determined that certain parameters of immune function are enhanced by more than seven hours of sleep. Lack of sleep affects mood, and cognitive and motor performance. So, if you find yourself burning the candle at both ends, remember . . you're not a human doing; you're a human being!!!
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