Are you Getting Enough Sleep?
Ashley Svaty, Nutrition, Food Safety and
Health Agent
Sleep has a major impact on
overall health and quality of life, including the way you feel, look, and
perform on a daily basis. Sufficient
sleep positively affects learning and memory, metabolism and weight, safety,
mood, cardiovascular health, and allows your body to fight disease. Even though
there are many known benefits of getting a good night of sleep, many people do
not get enough sleep or suffer from sleep problems.
Sleep needs vary throughout the
lifespan from infancy to adulthood.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults should receive
between 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. In general, adults are increasingly
decreasing their sleep hours, unaware of the ramifications on overall
health. It is normal to experience an
occasional problem with sleeping. It is
not normal to feel sleepy during the day, to have problems getting to sleep at
night, or to wake up without feeling refreshed.
If you are having trouble sleeping, examine your symptoms to determine if
your sleeping problem is just a minor passing annoyance instead of a sign of a
more serious sleep disorder or underlying medical condition.
If you experience any of the
following symptoms on a regular basis you might be dealing with a sleep
disorder such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, insomnia, or restless leg syndrome
and should contact a health-care provider: daytime sleepiness, irritability or
moodiness, difficulty staying awake when sitting still, watching TV or reading,
falling asleep or feeling tired while driving, difficulty concentrating, told
by others that you look tired, slow reaction time, trouble controlling your
emotions, feeling the need to take naps almost every day, and if you are
dependent on caffeinated beverages to keep yourself going.
