Sleep: The New Sex

I heard recently that sleep is what sex was to the older generations: The thing everyone wanted more of but wasn't getting enough. The question is, how important is sleep? Well, in today's world, it is difficult to find the time to settle down. With so much you can and want to do with your day, sleep is one of things that really takes a back seat on the priority list. People today are not really looking for how to be healthy, but more so, how to live healthier unhealthy lifestyles!

We all know that we need sleep and how much it sucks to feel tired when you are trying to get things done. But there are many other sleep related problems that are often overlooked. Sleep deprivation will cause complications with the memory functions in the brain, reducing your ability to recall previously stored information and severely inhibiting the ability to store new information. It also has significant consequences to physical systems such as your immune system and digestion. Immune system degradation will lead to a greater risk of getting sick and the effects on digestion are typically in reduced rate of metabolism leading to weight gain. But this is only part of the problem as mentally, there is a mood disrupting consequence literally reducing your ability to experience joy!

Stress is much more common in individuals who do not get enough sleep, which holds a myriad of other health related complications. All of these problems however, can be reduced by getting a bit more shut eye and a substantial increase in sleep quality can work to assist those who can't find the extra time for more sleep.

No one likes sitting at a desk trying not to fall asleep whether it is at work or school. The feeling of fighting sleep at work or school is one of the worst feelings when all you wish you could do is sleep. Most sleep experts agree that the optimal amount of sleep is somewhere around 8.5 hours per night, yet in America we are averaging a meager 6.7 hours. Of course, this means that most of us are not getting what we really need.

These days, most of us are trying to do more in a day than our grandfathers and grandmothers were back in the day. When night time came, there was a lot less that could be done and so, sleep was something that was more common. With the inventions of better lights, televisions, computers, and with more places being open till later, we are becoming a nation that does not sleep.

Many of us are busy trying to get everything done, and it simply feels like there isn't enough time in the day. But there is another common problem in modern society, largely stemming from the immediate gratification we have all become accustomed to. Everyone seems to want to do more but work consumes more time than the 8 hours it first appears. One has to look at the time "left" that you can actually do something creative/fun/entertaining. Let's break the day down:

1. Getting ready for work. Since it is work, there is a greater demand to dress up more than you would hanging around the house. You can add an extra 30 mins to your day considering extra laundry time, planning outfits, doing your hair, etc.
   
2. Travel time: This is still time that is being consumed due to getting to work. If you are taking public transit, trains, buses, or commuting, it is easy to add 30-120 mins in additional travel time per day.
3. Actual work day: Paid for 8 hours, work for 8 hours.
   
4. Breaks: Some of us are lucky to have paid breaks, and some, well... we still need to eat right? Often lunch takes at least 30-60 mins.
   

So at the end of the day, your 8 hours of work has turned closer to 10-12 hours. The question is whether you can get enough sleep and still have enough personal time to do something you really want to do. Often, sleep will take a lower priority and you will slowly continue to become more and more sleep deprived.

Well, a new bed is not going to solve all the problems, but it can help substantially. Think of it this way, all hours of sleep during the night are not the same. If you are waking up due to restlessness and discomfort, you are interrupting your sleep cycle. REM (rapid eye-movement) is one of the most crucial stages in the sleep cycle and a comfortable bed will increase the quality of sleep you are getting. More time spent in a solid sleep state will increase the amount of rest you get.

Mattresses will become less comfortable as they age due to sagging, creating peaks and valleys in the mattress and reducing support. Typical beds last less than 10 years before they should be replaced. Proper support in a bed will reduce back problems and keep you in your sleep cycles, meaning more REM sleep and ultimately better rest.

Buying a new mattress is a pretty intimidating process. There are so many beds to choose from which makes it really difficult to know what the best mattresses are for the individual. Even if you can find the right bed, they can be pretty expensive and many people put off getting them and their health suffers as a consequence.

Fortunately, most mattress retailers have payment plans that will help you to pay for one even if you don't have the cash flow to purchase one up front. The price for the mattresses can also be reduced quite substantially if you know how to dicker with the salespeople. It is a commission heavy industry and getting a bed to 40% off the sticker price is not uncommon. A common thing to watch out for in a mattress store is too much direction from salespeople. Although they know the products well, some of the mattresses have higher commissions for sales and often the sales representative will try to encourage those instead of finding the right bed for you.

So do yourself a favor and get a bed that is right for you. Although you might really want a new TV or a new wardrobe, buying a new mattress is probably the best place you can spend your money to increase the quality of your life.