Sleep is the ultimate foundation for a long, healthy life, yet 33% of U.S. adults aren’t getting enough of it. You may be all too familiar with this uphill sleep battle, as Philadelphia has been ranked one of one of the worst cities for sleeping!
As we celebrate Sleep Awareness Week and World Sleep Day in March, prioritize your health with the rest you need. Read on to learn 11 fascinating sleep facts and how to kickstart healthier sleep habits.
Most adults require seven to nine hours of sleep to function healthily. The National Sleep Foundation says that some of us can get by happily with as little as six hours, while others need a solid 10.
So how much sleep should you get? Sleep specialist and author Dr. Michael Breus suggests going to bed precisely 7.5 hours before your normal wake time. “If you’re not waking up five minutes before your alarm after a week, push your bedtime a half an hour earlier and continue to do so until you can wake up without your alarm.”
Tip: Consistency is key! Keep a strict bedtime and wake time to help stabilize your entire sleep routine.
Not getting adequate sleep can affect your hunger hormones, causing you to eat more just to ‘fill the void’ left by exhaustion. Not only are you hungrier when sleep deprived, but sleep.com says your cravings for high-calorie, fatty foods can shoot up by 45%!
Tip: Prioritize sleep as much as your diet and exercise, just ensure you finish your workout 4–6 hours before bed so it doesn’t interfere with falling asleep.
While a dark, screen-free environment is essential, the right tools can also be beneficial for your rest.
Tip: While everyone’s different, these are a few tools that we recommend. Try these and other tactics to see what works best for you!
Not all noise is beneficial to your sleep. Almost 45% of adults snore and their partners blame this as the top reason they’re not sleeping better. That’s probably why 1 in 4 people don’t share a bed with their spouse.
Tip: If your partner’s snoring is disruptive, recommend for them to sleep on their side or purchase nose strips to help lessen the sounds of snoring for a better night sleep.
Annually, over 100,000 traffic accidents happen because someone is nodding off behind the wheel. A study showed that staying awake for 16 hours straight zaps your performance just as much as if you had a blood-alcohol level of .05%. That’s only .03 points below the legal limit!
Tip: If you’re feeling drowsy while driving, pull over, grab some caffeine or take a quick nap.
Dreams are one of the most mysterious aspects of sleep. In fact, the website Dreams says that most people forget 50% of their dreams five minutes after waking up, and then as much as 99% is gone after another five minutes.
Tip: Keep a journal next to your bed. Write down your dreams as soon as you wake up for the best chance of remembering them.
The average human spends one-third of their life sleeping. That’s a lot of time, but it’s nothing when you compare this to cats. Cats spend two-thirds of their life sleeping!
Fun fact: Koalas are considered the sleepiest animal, sleeping 18-22 hours per day!
We’ve all experienced that scary sensation of jolting ourselves out of sleep while dreaming about something like falling from a tall building. That’s called a “hypnic jerk,” and is typically deemed perfectly healthy and normal. Occasionally, it may be due to something else like sleep apnea, anxiety, or even too much caffeine before bedtime.
Fun Fact: Young people are the most common victims of hypnic jerks, and the phenomenon decreases as we age.
British sleep expert and professor Chris Idzikowski claims to have identified six different sleeping positions and what each one says about a person’s character. People who sleep in the fetal position curled up in a ball on their side, are sensitive and shy. Sleep spread-eagle style on your back? You’re probably a good listener and tend to make friends easily. Check out more of what he says here.
Fun fact: Lying on your back like a starfish is the rarest sleep position with only 5% of the population sleeping like this.
The foods you eat before bed can set you up for a good or bad night’s sleep. Before bed try to avoid fatty foods, foods high in caffeine and sugar, spicy foods and alcohol.
Tip: For your best night’s sleep, have a filling meal at dinnertime a few hours prior to going to bed. If you’re too hungry to fall asleep, opt for a nutritious bedtime snack like raw almonds or bananas.
Research by the American College of Cardiology shows people who took a midday nap were more likely to have a noticeable drop in blood pressure compared with those who didn’t nap. A drop in blood pressure can reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack, a benefit that is also commonly seen with other lifestyle changes, such as salt and alcohol reduction.
Tip: Make sure not to nap more than 1 hour, or sleep past 2 pm. Not only might it annoy your coworkers, but it could also potentially disrupt your nighttime sleep.
If you’re experiencing symptoms related to poor sleep habits, or having trouble sleeping due to a persistent condition, stop by your nearest vybe urgent care. All 15+ locations open 7 days a week with extended hours to get you back to feeling your best.
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