There is much being discussed in the wellness realm about the importance of a balanced sleep regimen. Here is a post with some valuable guidelines that I found recently on a blog called Healthy Living.

Are you getting enough sleep? Many of us are sleep deprived and don’t even know it. Not getting enough sleep is a serious problem and it can wreak havoc on your overall well being.

Why Do We Need Sleep?

• • Learning & Memory – Sleep can help to solidify new information you’ve learned in your brain. It can also recover and organize memories.
  • Mood Enhancement – The part of your brain that controls your emotions and decision making slows down while you sleep, allowing optimal performance when awake. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is especially important for a good mood during the day. Those who lack sleep can get easily frustrated and grumpy.
  • Immune System – Without adequate amounts of sleep, the immune system becomes weak, making you vulnerable to infection and disease.
  • Growth & Development – When you sleep well, your body produces human growth hormone. A drop in your natural production of HGH is a scary path to getting fat. HGH stimulates the metabolism and increases the body’s ability to burn fat and increase muscle size.

We all need different amounts of sleep. Pay attention to how you feel; if you wake up feeling refreshed without feeling tired throughout the day, you are getting enough sleep.

The amount of sleep that you need depends on many factors – your genetic make-up, your daily activities, the amount of exercise you get, your age and the quality of your sleep.

Most adults, on average, need between 7-8 hours of sleep. Some may be able to function on as little as 5 and some may need closer to 10.

Sleep deprivation will be felt both physically and mentally. Listen to your body and give it the sleep it needs. Getting on a regular sleep schedule is best, especially if you have trouble getting a good nights rest.