That’s my bed, all comfy and soft. Unfortunately…
I’m not in it enough. Confession: I’ve been having problems sleeping.
Like lots of people, I have too much to do and not enough time to do it in. I’m not alone, people today sleep 20% less than they did 100 years ago. And, more than 30% of people suffer with insomnia.
But the damage from not sleeping is serious: a higher risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke.
And missing sleep is bad for your appearance.
Noted Plastic Surgeon and RealJane Consulting Physician Dr. Rod Rohrich says lack of sleep can cause all of this:
*Dull skin. The lack of sleep reduces your skin’s natural moisture barrier, leaving your skin dry and flaky.
*Fine lines in your complexion. When you sleep, your body releases melatonin, a natural antioxidant. Get too little and there aren’t enough antioxidants to help fight off wrinkle-causing free radicals.
*Breakouts. Stress hormones, like cortisol, skyrocket when you’re tired. They increase inflammation, provoking pimples to appear.
*Puffy eyes because as cortisol levels increase, your body also retains water. Since your eyelid skin is the thinnest on your body, it’s most obvious there.
*Weight gain. Sleep deprivation causes your body to release too much ghrelin, a hormone that makes you hungry and simultaneously causes it not to create enough leptin, a hormone that tells us we’re full — double whammy!”
I’m doing a series of reports on how to get more sleep. But first I need to know, what are your sleep problems? What would you like to know about sleep? Do you get too little? Too much?
Stay with me for Sleep Like A Baby,
My problem with sleep, or the lack of, is staying asleep all night. Too many nights I wake during the night and then cannot get back to sleep. When this happens it usually occurs after about 3-4 hours of sleep. I fall asleep easily, but on those nights, it seems I wake for no apparent reason and will end up tossing and turning for a minumum of 1 1/2 hours to as long as 3 hours waiting to fall back asleep. When I wake in the morning I do not feel well rested. I’ve tried to tie my sleep disturbances to food or drink before bedtime, but so far can only find chocolate (sometimes, but not always) in common with those nights. I thought dark chocolate was good for you? I’ve decided to chalk it up to stress or most likely hormones…when I increase my progesterone dosage in the evenings I usually sleep better, but sometimes can feel groggy for most of the next day. My doctor says grogginess means too much progesterone. Wish I could find that perfect, magical balance for each and every night!
This happens to me too Lori and it’s one of the things I’ll be looking at. Hopefully I’ll get some information that helps!
Thanks for the comment, Jane
I absolutely LOVE the prints above your bed!
Thank you Kathi, I like them a lot:) Thanks for commenting, Jane