“Imagine a world where you wake up with your first alarm, eat a full breakfast and have a productive, positive day…and all because you had a good night’s sleep.” This statement set to the background music of an intense MCU action sequence, which Cam Corey, a certified health coach and the membership director at the Beverly Athletic Club, dramatizes. This statement may have been said in a booming cinematic voice but make no mistake Corey can’t exaggerate the importance of a good night’s sleep to an individual’s overall health and wellness.
Sleep is essential to a person’s physical and mental health and if a person becomes sleep deprived then this can cause a myriad of problems. A consistent lack of sleep may indicate sleep deprivation, which can happen with less than seven hours of sleep per night (Healthline.com, 2021). If the consistent lack of sleep goes on nightly then it may be likely that you are sleep deprived. It is estimated that 50 to 70 million Americans chronically suffer from a disorder of sleep and wakefulness, hindering daily functioning and adversely affecting health and longevity (NHLBI, 2003).
How does one identify if they are sleep deprived? Yawning, feeling sluggish, lethargic, confused and forgetful might be indicators that you are sleep deprived. With deprivation can come a host of health problems, as determined by Healthline.com in a December of 2021 article: a weakened immune system, memory issues, poor concentration, mood changes, weight gain, low sex drive, poor balance and a risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes.
The good news is that there can be immediate results if a person engages in at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, they will see a difference in sleep quality that same night, according to a Johns Hopkins sleep study and the National Heart, Lung and Blood institute (March, 2022). But in order to get this positive result Corey believes “so much about getting a good night’s sleep is about planning and making your sleep a priority. What are you doing everyday and why are you doing it? Do you work out an hour before bedtime or eat a large meal two hours before bed? Then that might be contributing to your bad sleep. But working out will help you get a good night’s sleep. Oh and my number one rule, get your phone out of your bedroom.”
Numerous studies done in recent years including the SCLhealth.org agree “that the blue light triggered by your cell phone screen retains the production of melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle.” Many health experts agree with Corey, get the cell phone out of the bedroom.
One’s overall mental and physical health is improved with the onset of a better night’s sleep. As a certified health coach Corey wants the cyclical benefits of working out, better mental health and better sleep to assist all of the Beverly Athletic Club members in achieving a healthier lifestyle. And if you were to ask him, he’d be happy to say that in his booming, cinematic, narrative voice for effect.
Sleep is vital to your health and wellness success.
