Restful Sleep Bumps the Holiday Blues

How are you sleeping?

Do you fall asleep within moments of going to bed? Do you sleep through the night? If you wake up during the night, do you fall asleep in a few minutes? Restful sleep can be an elusive pleasure, yet it is vital to B*ing the Holiday Blues.

I am sure you have experienced feeling short tempered when you have not had enough sleep. A restful night’s sleep reduces negative reactions to stressful events. We are able to process the event and manage our stress response more effectively. Restful sleep also contributes to clarity of thought. We think better. Have you ever tried to function with very little rest? You may have noticed that you had a harder time processing simple math problems or recalling information? Yes, lack of sleep inhibits our ability to think.

Sleep/Wake Cycle

Our sleep/ wake cycle is controlled by a series of chemical reactions in the brain and adrenal system. The body starts preparing for sleep approximately two hours before your regular bedtime. During this time melatonin, a hormone that is produced by the body, increases. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter or brain chemical, also begins to increase. You may know that serotonin levels are associated with depression or depressive conditions. Cortisol, a hormone associated with the stress response, decreases around your regular bedtime and increases through the night. It reaches its peak right before we wake up. Although, there are many other hormones and brain chemicals involved in the sleep/wake cycle, I just wanted to highlight a few that are commonly recognized.

The National Sleep Foundation determined that adults need 7 – 9 hours of sleep to function healthily. The 2018 Sleep in America Poll® found that individuals who felt they had excellent sleep were far more likely to say they felt more effective in their daily life than those who reported poor sleep.

Your challenges for the week

Find your challenges in your inbox in The Half Note, the newsletter for “hardworking professionals who want to be happy.” I am doing the challenges as well and will post on Instagram at Happyin30 and on our Facebook page @happyin30. I encourage you to do the same and share with our community.

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