Don't overlook this important aspect of a healthy life!

  Have you ever heard someone say that there is just not enough hours in the day? I would be willing to bet a fair amount of money that you have. We live in a society which practically demands that you be geared up and turned on for a good eighteen hours. When you look at all the time spent at work, caring for our homes, running errands, and tending to our personal lives, it's easy to see how we may skimp on sleep. According to the Sleep in America Poll that was conducted in 2002 by the National Sleep Foundation, 68% of Americans do not even receive the recommended eight hours on their weekends!

   Why is sleep so important? Well first off, while you are sleeping, your body is repairing itself from all the wear and tear it goes through during your day. Furthermore, when you skimp or forgo hitting the pillow, you are more likely to become moody and irritable, sluggish and unfocused.

   Michael J Breus, PhD, in his article Sleep Habits: More Important Than You Think (Chronic Sleep Deprivation May Harm Health), reported that cutting back on just thirty minutes of sleep can make you 32% more likely to be less alert. This would certainly explain why the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) data shows that at a minimum, 100,000 of the traffic accidents that occur each year are due to tired people sitting behind the wheel.

    A study done in the 1980's by the University of Pittsburg School of medicine, showed that senior citizens that were sleep deprived were more likely to die earlier.

   Sleeping gives your brain and body the chance to rest in a way it just can't do when you are driving the kids to work or walking around the office.

  Want another reason to hit the hay? Try weight loss and weight maintenance. If you find yourself becoming hungry after 9 or 10pm, and you have already eating dinner (and provided that you ate sufficiently throughout your day), your body may be sending you those "hunger-pangs" because it is tired and is looking to gain more energy from fuel (food).

   Instead of having a little midnight snack, try going to bed. Your body will have a chance to rest and refuel itself, and not at the expense of your waistline.

   How much sleep do you need to be at your very best? The ideal amount of time is between seven and eight hours. You may be able to get by with less, but the phrase is get by. You don't want to get by but thrive! If you want to help ensure that you are always on your A game, make sure that you dedicate some time to sleep. Turn off the tube, put down the novel, kiss your hubby night-night and get that shut eye!