51/365 Balance Your Sleep Checkbook

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Sleep is absolutely important for a healthy life. Without sleep, you are more likely to develop high blood pressure, produce the stress hormone cortisol, and produce inadequate amounts of antibodies to a flu vaccine. In a study, participants were found to have reduced these effects of sleep debt by repaying it.

As students, I realize this can be a challenging thing to do. We have homework, work, a social life, Project Runway, and other things to do before sleep. It is important to allot enough time for your natural sleep cycle. I find that 8 hours is perfect for me. I don't usually get those 8 hours even if I'm in bed and wake up at the same time every weekday. So what I do, and what researchers have suggested, is to sleep in 2-3 hours more on the weekend and tack on extra hours during the next week.

If you have a large debt to pay, you may have to wait awhile before you can repay it. If possible, plan a really light week for yourself. Get into bed the moment you feel tired and fall asleep naturally. Allow yourself to wake up naturally too. You may sleep for 12 hours initially but it is all part of the process.

Prevent sleep debt altogether as best you can. Try to get into a schedule. If you find yourself in debt, repay it on the weekend. Speaking of which...good night!

In health,

Lauren

"Repaying your sleep debt." Harvard Women's Health Watch 14.11 (2007): 1-3. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 9 Sept. 2010.