Sleep Awareness Week takes place March 9-15, and it’s a time to become more aware of the connection between your sleep and your overall health and well-being.
Poor sleep can make us less able to cope with daily stress and more likely to focus on negative things while overlooking positive ones. The National Sleep Foundation’s 2003 Sleep in America poll found that among adults who got less than the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, over half experienced mild or greater levels of depressive symptoms. It can become a vicious cycle, as depression and other mood disorders can contribute to poor sleep.
The dangers associated with poor sleep are physical, too. A 2022 paper in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology noted that sleep is of special concern in the construction industry due to the elevated risk of worker injuries and fatalities. Researchers noted that construction workers routinely obtained less than 7 hours of sleep per night, and this was associated with an increased risk of accidents on the jobsite.
The good news is that making changes to improve your sleep is not a heavy lift. Cultivate these habits and you’ll see a difference:
- Spend time in bright, natural light during the day, especially in the morning.
- Exercise regularly, aiming for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
- Eat your meals at consistent times each day.
- Avoid heavy meals, nicotine, caffeine and alcohol before bedtime.
- Develop a consistent wind-down routine each night.
- Put away devices an hour before bed.
- Sleep in a quiet, cool, dark environment.
The National Sleep Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to advances in sleep health, has more Sleep Awareness Week resources and toolkits you can print and share.
Sweet dreams!