How to Get a Better Night's Sleep

If you don't sleep well, you don't feel well. Getting a good night's sleep is one of the best things you can do for your mental health. Sleep helps replenish your mind and body. It helps your mind process and figuratively hit the reset button on the stress and complications of the day. 

What does sleep do for you?  It helps in many amazing ways, such as it

• Helps your brain sort and process your day. This ability helps create long-term memory and sorts information for when you need it later. Sleep helps your brain learn and remember. 
• Releases growth hormones which help you grow and help repair your body. 
• Contributes to healthy brain functioning and emotional wellbeing.
• Allows your nervous system to relax. 
• Decreases the stress hormone called cortisol. 
• Strengthens your immune system by releasing a protein called cytokine. Cytokine help fight inflammation, infection and trauma to the body. 

What are the repercussions of not sleeping?

• Your brain has trouble focusing and remembering.
• Your body has trouble healing, which can lead to increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.
• Sleep deprivation increases your chances of weight gain and even obesity.
• Your immune system may become compromised and have trouble fighting infection.

According to this article from the National Institutes of Health on Sleep Deprivation, "After several nights of losing sleep—even a loss of just 1–2 hours per night—your ability to function suffers as if you haven't slept at all for a day or two.

But sometimes you just can't sleep. Either you have trouble falling asleep or you have trouble staying asleep. I made a video on how to sleep better with tips to help you make sure you are practicing good sleep hygiene.  Good sleep hygiene will make it more likely that you can get a good nights sleep.