In recent years, there has been a plethora of research done on the importance of sleep due to its effect on our everyday health. Along with proper diet and exercise, sleep is one of the three main aspects of our health that we can control in order to live a happy life where we feel good almost every day.

How Do Poor Sleeping Habits Affect You?

If you're not getting enough sleep each night, it can affect you in a variety of ways. The most noticeable is that you'll feel tired all day! This can lead to decreased concentration and poor performance at school or work, which can go on to prevent you from getting the promotion or good grades that you need. Feeling tired or lethargic can also prevent you from progressing in other areas of your life as it can lead to laziness. After all, if you're exhausted when you get home for the day, are you more likely to go to the gym and cook a good meal, or order a pizza and binge-watch Netflix? It's easy to see why sleep is so important!

How Much Sleep do You Need?

The tricky thing about sleep is that we all require different amounts to really feel good, but the National Sleep Association's newest study recommends that teenagers get 8-10 hours, adults get 7-9, and seniors get 7-8 each day. You may be on the low end or high end of that scale, but it's important to at least get as close as possible to the required amount for your age range. If you follow these guidelines, you'll no doubt see a change in your daytime habits and well-being in no time at all.

How to Get a Better Night's Sleep

Of course, knowing that you need to sleep more and actually getting that sleep is two different things, so how can you successfully start to catch a few more Z's each night? The National Sleep Association's biggest piece of advice is simple- make sleep a priority. Realize and accept that it's just as important as diet and exercise and actively try to pay attention to how much you're sleeping each night in order to ensure you're getting the required amount.

In addition to simply making sleep a priority, make sure that you're not using electronics before bed, beware of alcohol and caffeine late in the day, make your bedroom devoid of any intrusive light or noise, and invest in making your bed as comfortable as possible so that you look forward to crawling in each night. If you're still experiencing problems (like inability to fall asleep at night or continued lethargy during the day), consider talking to your general practitioner or even seeing a sleep specialist in order to determine what needs to change so that you're getting the sleep that you need and deserve.