Sleep Blues: How to change your quantity and quality of sleep

We can survive longer without food than we can without sleep. About twice as long. Good food may be central to good health, but so is good sleep. And we often miss out on its amazing benefits. Improved sleep has been linked to improved health in many ways. The evidence is clear that those who get plenty of sleep have a lower risk of being overweight, of being depressed, of being sick, of being injured, and that kids have better attention, better mood, better behavior, better grades, better standardized test scores – and a better quality of life overall. How did we let this slip away? In the not-too-distant past, the phrase “sleep like a baby,” meant to sleep soundly and restfully all night long, not waking up even if there were a loud noise. Today “sleep like a baby” means to keep your parents in a state of constant exhaustion, teasing them by finally falling asleep and then waking up crying just when they set you down, or a few hours later. Rinse and repeat. What Changed? Sleep Blues! For most of human history (and today if you go camping) the light of the sun set our sleep rhythms. During the day, our bodies would make vitamin D. After the sun set our melatonin levels would rise, carrying us off to a deep and restful sleep. It was easy. But by 1925 half of the homes in the United States had electric lights. These lights disrupted our sleep without our noticing. And now electric lights are not just in every room of our homes, but screen light is in our hands and in...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Uncategorized Blue Light Syndrome Sleep Sleep Deprivation Source Type: blogs