Insomnia affects more than 70 million Americans, and one in six adults considers sleep problems a serious issue in their lives. Yet many of us are hesitant to bring sleep issues up with a doctor. In our workaholic culture, people brag about how little sleep they’re getting because it is seen as the sign of a motivated and efficient person. But the fact is that most people’s bodies rack up a “sleep debt” without a good eight straight hours of sleep a night. And that debt can be hard to pay down: sleep deprivation has been linked to an increased risk for depression, obesity, high blood pressure and lower productivity at work.

It should be considered a serious health problem. Those co-workers who are so proud of getting only five hours of sleep a night might need to spend longer at the office to get the same amount done. Insomnia doesn’t just mean an inability to fall asleep at night. If you wake up frequently, have trouble getting back to sleep, wake up too early or just feel fatigued when you wake up, you could have insomnia. Short-term factors like a move, the loss of a job or other major life stressors can bring on a bout of insomnia. Chronic or longer-lasting problems can also be caused by emotional conditions or ongoing physical discomforts.

Talking to your doctor is always the right first step. But the following good sleep habits can also get you on the path to eight restorative hours of peace:

-KEEP THE BEDROOM ABOUT SLEEP
-TRY BEHAVIORAL ADJUSTMENTS AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES
-HAVE A ROUTINE
-AVOID CAFFEINE, NICOTINE & ALCOHOL
-EXERCISE EARLY AND OFTEN
-CONSIDER YOUR MATTRESS

You can read more about insomnia and ways to prevent it from this article by Sleepy's.



Editor's Note: At Stage of Life we are always looking for great information that can help our readers live happier, healthier lives. As part of that mission, we recently started reaching out to experts in certain areas.

This article was sourced and used with permission from Sleepy's, The Mattress Professional (one of our preferred coupon partners on Stage of Life).

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