Lack of Sleep and Health Problems
February 19, 2010
Former President Bill Clinton recently admitted that lack of sleep added to some of his health problems. "I didn't sleep much for a month, that probably accelerated what was already going on," Clinton said as he counseled young people to make smart health choices while they are young to improve their lives for later years.
But how does sleep affect our general health? Getting enough continuous quality sleep contributes to how we feel and perform the next day, this also has a huge impact on the overall quality of our lives. Getting enough sleep refers to the amount of sleep you need to not feel sleepy the next day. Insufficient sleep may make it difficult to exercise and can reduce the benefit of hormones released during sleep.
Some steps we can all take to improve our sleep habits are:
- Exercise regularly, but complete your workout at least 3 hours before bedtime.
- Establish a regular relaxing, not alerting, bedtime routine (e.g. taking a bath or relaxing in a hot tub).
- Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet and preferably cool and comfortable.
Learn more about how to improve your sleep and read more about former President Clinton’s comments.
Copyright Notice: All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of the National Sleep Foundation. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. Links to Web sites other than those owned by the National Sleep Foundation are offered as a service to readers and the foundation is not responsible for their content. Click here to request permission.
Advertisement Notice: The National Sleep Foundation neither control nor endorse the advertisements, items or Websites featured in the advertisers links on our Web pages.
