Sleep, like air, is something we completely take for granted. That is, until we don’t get enough of it. And for many American women, lack of good sleep happens a lot. But while skimping on sleep may seem like an excellent idea to get a jump start on tomorrow’s to-do list, it comes at a high cost.

What is good sleep?

So what is good sleep? Good sleep is sleep that is at a consistent time and uninterrupted. Time consistency is vital to your body’s natural clock or circadian rhythm. Your sleep rhythm or routine should be consistent. This will help you develop good sleep hygiene skills that are necessary for high-quality sleep. Good sleep hygiene skills can be having your room quiet, dark, and without room noises (move your bedroom TV out), or outside noises from disrupting your sleep. Other physiological concerns may also ruin a good night’s sleep. Your sleep can also be disrupted if you snore or have a loud snoring bed partner. Being diagnosed for a common sleep disorder like insomnia or sleep apnea should warrant a visit to see a sleep specialist to suggest treatment options for you or your bed partner.

How much good sleep should I be getting?

Droopy eyelids and low energy are the least of your worries when you’re sleep-deprived. If you aren’t getting the seven to eight hours that’s ideal, you can seriously compromise your health.

More than 8 hours

Sadly, you can have too much of a good thing. Regularly amassing more than eight hours a night disrupts blood sugar levels, (diabetescare.com).

More than 7 hours

You’re three times more likely to catch a cold if you sleep fewer than seven hours per night than if you get eight, possibly because sleep helps regulate the body’s response to infection. Weight gain also becomes a worry: Less sleep produces more of the appetite promoting hormone ghrelin and less of the satiety-producing hormone leptin.

6 hours or fewer

You may think you function fine on this little sleep, but snoozing six hours or fewer a night for a period of only two weeks will impair your memory, reaction time, and general cognition in the same way that staying awake for up to 48 hours straight would according to a study from the (uofpenn/med.com).

5 hours or fewer

Five hours sleep weakens your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels, which may double your risk for type 2 diabetes, (diabetescare.com). Those who sleep five or fewer hours a night are 50 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure than by sleeping six hours, possibly due to their elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which strain the heart, (journalofsleep.com).

How can you change your bad sleep habits?

Woodinville Sleep Improvement Center offers many free sleep tools online such as an RU Sleeping Device which is an at home sleep apnea screening tool you can check out like a library book. A short visit with Woodinville Sleep Center’s medical director, Hyung Uk Park, MD who is a board certified specialist in sleep medicine, can find the best path for improving your sleep.

Woodinville Sleep Center accepts all insurance plans. Online appointments can be scheduled 24 hours a day, 7 days a week-www.woodinvillesleep.com, for those insomniacs that surf the net at night. We treat our patients like family and make you feel at ease as if you were in the comfort of your own home. Woodinville Sleep Center also has many tactics in finding solutions to improve your overall health and wellness starting by improving your sleep!