The Importance of Sleep

“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?” -Ernest Hemingway

Sleep has become an increasingly loved part of everyone’s life. No matter how late we stay up, we are always fighting for those few extra minutes every morning. However, with all of this craze about sleep, it is important to know what benefits sleep has for the body and what a detriment a lack of sleep can be for your well being.

According to a 2015 study by Dagmara et al., Americans have been staying up later over the years while setting alarms for earlier times in the morning. This led to a significant increase in sleep disturbances among all American. Sleep disturbances are anything that disrupts of inhibits sleep. So what does this mean for the average American?

Well, according to various studies on the topic, a lack of sleep can mean an increase in symptoms of depression, worse physical and cognitive performance, lower GPA and less physical growth. Although most people aren’t thinking about all these consequences when they decide to stay up an extra hour or two, these outcomes can have long lasing effects on a person’s future. So, what can we do to change our sleep habits?

Various other studies have implemented mindfulness exercises and meditations which yielded significant results. It is suggested that one reduces stress in their everyday life by being aware of themselves and the world around them. This can help individuals prepare for the week ahead of them and sort out any cognitive strains that have been plaguing their mind. Okay, meditation. That’s easy, but what are the benefits of good sleep?

Good Question. Having the recommended amount of sleep has been shown to have great effects on the body and mind, including: greater life satisfaction, better academic performance, lower blood pressure, increase physical growth, and many more. By maintaining a good sleep schedule, you are not only doing yourself a favor, but you are doing your future a favor.

Although people are always praising their beds for how comfortable they are, the quality and quantity of sleep across America has been decreasing. This makes it our responsibility to take care of our minds and our bodies by improving our sleep schedule. Do yourself a favor and go to sleep.

Those are my Thoughts for Food.

Sources:

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Buysse, D. J., Reynolds III, C. F., Monk, T. H., Berman, S. R., & Kupfer, D. J. (1989). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry research, 28(2), 193-213. doi:10.1016/0165-1781(89)90087-4

Chennaoui, M., Arnal, P., Drogou, C., Sauvet, F., & Gomez-Merino, D. (2016). Sleep extension increases igf-i concentrations before and during sleep deprivation in healthy young men. NCR Research Press, 41, 963-970. doi:10.1139/apnm-2016-0110

Dagmara, E., Frances, E., & Patrick, E. (2015). The role of environmental factors on sleep patterns and school performance in adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, Art. 1717. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01717

Dewald, J., Meijer, A., Oort, F., Kerkhof, G., & Bögels, S. (2014). Adolescents’ sleep in low-stress and high-stress (exam) times: A prospective quasi-experiment. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 12(6), 493-506. doi:10.1080/15402002.2012.670675

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Nankivell, Brandon. (2017, July 25). Mindfulness in 5 Minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btiL0qHtnRw

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The Importance of Time Management

“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it.” -Harvey Mackay

Time is the thing that everyone wants more of, but no one has enough of. Time is the only real measure of value in the universe. We are paid per hour, we age per year, we pay bills every month. Time marks everything from trivial to significant moments in our lives.

Due to time being valued very high in today’s society, it is important to make the most out of each moment that you have. If we push ourselves to be more productive during the week, it can add up to either more money or more enjoyment. We can dedicate extra time to out job or extra time to a hobby, but either way, that will improve our well-being as individuals. That is not to say that we should dedicate all of our time to our job just to make a few extra bucks. If you have a love for something, you could even turn it into a way of making a few extra bucks. Blogging, painting, even playing videogames can yield some rewards if the proper preparation is taken. However, it is important not to overwhelm yourself.

Self care is very important. It is extremely important to have a set amount of time dedicated to doing what we want to do. Utilizing time for self care can reduce stress and increase longevity. I would suggest taking either one or two hours every day to relax and do something that relieves your stress whether that is cooking a meal, painting a canvas, or taking a nap. If you cant afford to take one or two hours everyday to do that, than I would suggest taking an entire day every week to just reflect on your mental health and do what is necessary to improve it.

By focusing on being productive and maintaining your mental health, you can achieve so much more than you would expect. By turning a hobby into a source of income, you could begin transitioning from your current career to that career which you would enjoy much more. By setting aside time for yourself, you can decrease your stress which can help you live a longer and happier life. It is for these reasons that I find Time Management to be the most valuable skill out there.

Those are my Thoughts for Food.

Simple Pleasures

With technology advancing and more inventions being created, it is hard to focus on the simple pleasures in life. This is a friendly reminder to notice those simple pleasures.

Enjoying a good cup of coffee on a Sunday morning is one of my favorite simple pleasures. It provides time to reflect on your thoughts and plan out the upcoming week. The smell of the coffee is almost hypnotizing, and the taste is even more inspiring.

Simply taking the time to reflect on your life and plan for the future is a simple pleasure that not many take advantage of. Many people these days are controlled by their devices, allowing the device to chose when one goes to sleep or when one will get out of bed. Instead, we should control our devices, only using them to assist us in our mission to be successful. There are too many simple pleasures in this life to miss out on. From a short nap to a cup of coffee to a beautiful sunrise, the Earth is filled with beautiful scenes and items, yet many of us don’t take the proper amount of time to admire them.

If we take the time to admire each pleasure this world has to offer, we can decrease stress, feel more prepared for the future, and have a stronger sense of accomplishment when we reach our goals. I mean, our real goals, not reaching a certain level on a game or unlocking new characters or levels. I mean, doing what we choose to do that will make our parents proud, that will make all of the sacrifices that our parents made seem worth it. That is a simple pleasure that no one should pass up.

Those are my Thoughts for Food.