![\"Sleep](\"https:\/\/cdn.propertyupdate.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/sleep-optimism-800x450.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWe all think we know the secret to longevity and good mental health.<\/p>\n
Spend time with our families, work hard to earn a good wage, eat fresh food, and exercise regularly.<\/p>\n
But I\u2019d like to add one very important habit that is, nine times out of ten, overlooked by most people.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Sleep -<\/strong>\u00a0Letting the body repair cells and restore itself at night is one of the most important things you can do.<\/p>\n Doctors recommend between seven to nine hours of sleep a night, depending on who you ask, but how many of us routinely get that amount?<\/p>\n The truth is, sleep is often the first casualty of a busy life.<\/p>\n We burn the candle at both ends to keep on top of our work, but this causes problems during the day.<\/p>\n Serious sleep deprivation is like being drunk.<\/p>\n We are liable to forget things, we become vague, and we struggle to keep focused.<\/p>\n Here are some facts about sleep that will ensure you make getting to bed early a priority:<\/p>\n Researchers from the University of Michigan recently looked at what happens to our brains when we don\u2019t get enough sleep.\r\n You guessed it: it isn\u2019t good.<\/p>\n The study found that\u00a0sleep deprivation\u00a0interferes with the rhythm of neuronal firing in a region called the hippocampus.<\/p>\n The hippocampus is the brain structure responsible for the formation of long-term memories.<\/p>\n Previous studies have also pointed to the importance of sleep in producing memories.<\/p>\n Pretty crucial stuff.<\/p>\n Stories abound of entrepreneurs who manage to get by on four hours of sleep a night.<\/p>\n And while some people may need less than others, most people need a lot more than that.<\/p>\n You may wish <\/em>to be one of those people who need very little sleep \u2014 imagine how much more you would get done \u2014 but at the end of the day, you don\u2019t decide how much you need, your body does.<\/p>\n It\u2019s time to listen to it.<\/p>\n In a recent article in the Neuron <\/em>science journal,<\/em> University of California Berkeley researchers found that the poor sleep of the elderly increases their risk of memory loss, as well as a host of mental and physical problems.<\/p>\n \u201cNearly every disease killing us in later life has a causal link to lack of sleep,\u201d said the article\u2019s senior author, Matthew Walker.<\/p>\n Mr. Walker said that sleep deterioration has been linked to Alzheimer\u2019s disease, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and stroke.<\/p>\n So, the science is in: sleep is the fountain of youth.<\/p>\n Think your morning coffee can make up for lost sleep? It\u2019s unlikely.<\/p>\n You may get a short jolt, but caffeine won\u2019t give you the sustained energy that deep sleep can.<\/p>\n The same goes for sugar.<\/p>\n While a hit of the sweet stuff causes our energy levels to spike, they don\u2019t last like that for very long and we end up crashing within an hour or two.<\/p>\n Most of us are guilty of this one.<\/p>\n We think if we go without sleep during the week, we can simply catch up on the weekends.<\/p>\n But the thing about sleep deprivation is that the more we deny ourselves sleep, the greater the sleep debt becomes.<\/p>\n If we miss two hours of sleep every weeknight, then we will need an extra 10 hours on the weekend to catch up and feel fully restored.<\/p>\n The point of my talking about sleep isn\u2019t to make you feel bad about not getting any or enough.<\/p>\n I know it\u2019s tough at times, especially if you have a young family, to get the right amount of shut-eye.<\/p>\n But we do need to work harder at prioritising sleep.<\/p>\n Our health now, and in our later years, depends on it.<\/p>\n\r\n\r\n We all think we know the secret to longevity and good mental health. Spend time with our families, work hard to earn a good wage, eat fresh food, and exercise regularly. But I\u2019d like to add one very important habit that is, nine times out of ten, overlooked by most people. Sleep –\u00a0Letting the body…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":80706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[331],"class_list":["post-85625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-property-updates","tag-success"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n1. A lack of sleep impairs memory<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/div><\/p>\n2. You can\u2019t decide how much you need<\/span><\/h2>\n
3. Sleep deprivation makes us sick<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Sleeplessnight\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.propertyupdate.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/sleeplessnight-800x450.jpg\")
<\/p>\n4. Caffeine (or sugar) won\u2019t help<\/span><\/h2>\n
5. You can\u2019t catch up on the weekends<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"