Did you know that we spend roughly one third of our lives asleep? That’s a reasonable chunk of our time! Sleep serves a restorative function and freshens our bodies and minds as well as playing a potential role in consolidating memories and processing the events of our day to day lives. It’s not difficult to imagine how our lifestyles are affected by the quality of our sleep and the quality of our sleep are affected by our lifestyles.
Work
Research suggests that we feel tired and run down when we are lacking a work/life balance with everyday stresses reported as one of the major aspects that were affecting people’s sleep. Many Australians report feeling stressed and time poor, which gives credit to suggestions that feeling tired and run down is warning sign that work is interfering with home life. Research also suggests that poor sleep impairs immune and motor function, as well as memory and attention, all of which can be detrimental to performance at work.
Exercise
Not only is exercise known to improve depressive symptoms and increase vitality and alertness, but recent studies published in the Journal of Sleep Medicine suggest that moderate exercise increases the efficiency of melatonin production, improving sleep quality, which contributes to overall wellbeing.
Relationships
Inadequate sleep can have devastating effects on our relationships, particularly for those who have a partner who snores. Sleep quality affects our serotonin levels, influencing our mood, which in turn affects how we interact with those closest to us. On the flip side, intimacy and sex is good for sleep, boosting the levels of the hormones oxytocin and prolactin, which help you feel connected with your partner as well as feeling relaxed and sleepy.
