Healthy Living DIY

Experts agree that getting enough sleep can benefit your health in at least three distinctive ways:

1. Well-rested people are less prone to careless accidents, including drowsy driving, than those who are sleep-deprived.
2. Well-rested people find it easier to maintain a healthy body weight than those who sleep less.
3. Well-rested people show less tendency to develop certain chronic illnesses than their more drowsy peers, for example, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and depression.

Now for the results. As of this moment, we've pulled in 302 votes. 99 of the voters are from the US and 203 from elsewhere, including 62 from Croatia. (We reached the top viewing position during the overnight hours here in the US.)

Overall, 40% of respondents reported they get "enough" sleep, 34% are too busy to get enough, 22% experience insomnia, and 4% are plagued by snoring partners. Among US respondents, 34% get "enough" sleep, 38% are too busy to get enough, 25% experience insomnia, and just 2% are kept awake by snoring partners.

If the poll were presented to different people, or perhaps more of them, the numbers might change slightly. Yet based on a 2006 estimate that at the time 50 - 70 million Americans experienced chronic insomnia, our 25% number appears to be in the ballpark.

I think we have enough data strength to come up with a couple of observations:

1. We Americans are not quite as well-rested as the global population.
2. Worldwide, there are a whole lot of people placing the "doing of other things" at a higher priority than their sleep / health. (It might even be suggested that we live in a culture of chronic sleep deprivation.)

Knowing what we do about the relationship between sleep and health, I'd like to take a moment focus on just one segment. The 38% of Americans who are too busy to get enough sleep.

Let's put this in perspective. 38% of the whole American population today, March 3, 2009, is approximately 116 million people. How many is that? Well, combine the populations of the 5 most populated US states (CA, TX, NY, FL, IL), throw in #12-ranked VA and you get about 116 million. It's a whole lot of people!

From what I can tell, we're dealing with one central issue: Do you go to sleep only when everything else is done? Or do you stop what you're doing to get the sleep you need?

Guess what? We've got a second sleep poll!

Perhaps I'm inspiring you to give some heartier consideration to going nighty-night a little sooner. The motivation is strong: you might lose some weight, protect yourself against heart disease and diabetes, have more energy, and feel better. Plus who can argue it's easy?

Well... except for the part about actually getting yourself into bed.

So I'd like to try and help you out with some lifestyle tips for getting yourself under cover:

• Determine what time you want to get up.
• Count back hours according to the amount of sleep you need. How much is that? Well, the National Sleep Foundation estimates that most adults require between 7 - 9 hours of sleep in order to be well rested. If you have a "sleep debt," you may need to make that up before finding your long-term groove.
• 30 minutes to 1 hour before that time, turn off your computer and phone, stop exercising, and begin a "pre-sleep" relaxation ritual. Things like a warm bath, stretching, some light reading, relaxing with family, or journaling about your day might fit into this time. Check out the National Sleep Foundation's Sleep Tips for more suggestions.
• When the time comes, "lights out!"

Now if you're like me, you're probably thinking, "Ok, Elizabeth, that's not rocket science."

Right. It's not. It's pretty much common sense. But here's the question. Are you doing it? Or is something else getting in the way?

And here's the news: to the extent that something else gets in the way, you are resisting vibrant health and the fullest expression of your own vital energy in the world. I'm sure you don't really want to do that, so let's add on two more critical tips:

• When something else does get in the way, jot down what happened on a special page in your journal. After you've accumulated a short list of reasons, look them over and notice any patterns that mght emerge.
• Once you've gotten clear about what is in the way of your getting to sleep on time, then develop a strategy for dealing with it!

You can do that, right? Of course!

Top Sleep Resources:

National Sleep Foundation
Centers for Disease Control: Sleep and Sleep Disorders
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies: Sleep Medicine and Research

Take the poll on "Do Stuff or Sleep: How Do You Vote?"