What is the Most Important Thing to Improve Your Health?
Just by applying this one simple change to your schedule will almost immediately revolutionize your life for the better. You must be wondering about this miracle, this is sleep. Everybody knows that sleep is very important and most people agree that they don't get enough of it due to various reasons. Sleep is such an important part of our lives that without it we would die. Sleep deprivation leads to death in just a matter of weeks. Without adequate sleep we get a fall in our immune system, reduced concentration levels, memory impairment, mood swings, energy dips and much more.
Sleep isn't just about how much we get of it, but also about when. As human beings we are naturally attached to the environment and the rising and setting of the sun. As the sun rises the sunlight stimulates our eyes and activates the stress hormone. This hormone is responsible for stimulating movement and preparing the body for action, and its level will peak during the day and start to reduce in the afternoon. During the evening the level should be at a minimum and this releases growth and repair hormones for the impending sleep. As we sleep our body gets repaired first physically and then mentally.
Unfortunately, we go to bed too late and feed our body full of stimulants resulting in stress hormones in the evening and no physical repair during the night. If you do not sleep by 10.30pm in the night then your body is missing out on vital growth and repair that happens for approximately 4 hours during this time. Always remember that you are influenced by the sun and not when you choose to go to bed.
To live a healthier life you must start to follow your natural sleeping cycle. This means getting out of bed early in the morning and going to bed early in the night. This helps to keep your stress hormones at a minimum during the afternoon by avoiding all stimulants and dimming lights in the evening and avoiding watching TV too late in the night. Get to bed by 10.30pm and ensure that you sleep in full darkness and get up in the morning. If you get 7-9 hours rest each night, you'll be well on your way to a more productive and healthier lifestyle.