Sleep is essential for our overall health and wellness. Having a consistent sleep schedule will ensure that you are getting enough sleep at night and your quality of sleep will increase. The CDC recommends that adults get 7 or more hours of sleep per night. We are going to share with you why a sleep schedule is so important and give you tips for making your sleep schedule consistent!  

Benefits of Quality Sleep 

Having a consistent sleep schedule comes with a plethora of benefits. The CDC reports that a third of adults in America are not getting enough sleep each night. Not getting enough sleep can negatively affect your health in multiple ways. The risk of anxiety, irritability, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes all increase when you are not getting enough sleep. Getting enough sleep is just as important to your health as eating healthy and exercising.  

Circadian Disruption  

Another reason why having a sleep schedule is so important is that it can help maintain the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is all the changes that your body goes through within a 24-hour cycle - these changes include mental, physical and behavioral. Your circadian rhythm affects functions in your body like blood pressure, hormone levels, alertness and sleep. There are many circadian rhythms but the most common one is the sleep cycle of when you are falling asleep and waking up. Because the light changes between night and day, your body can tell when it is time to go to sleep and wake up. Factors like our phone lights can affect this. Having a consistent sleep schedule can help with less disruption of your circadian rhythm.  

Making Your Sleep Schedule 

Knowing the importance of a sleep schedule is the first step, now let's get into making your sleep schedule and what a consistent sleep schedule looks like. It is important to know that not everyone’s sleep schedule is going to look the same. The times that you wake up and go to sleep are going to be personal to you and will not really affect your sleep schedule. The focus is more on how much sleep you are getting, the quality of sleep and if you are consistent with it. It has been proven that adults should go to sleep between 8 p.m. and midnight, just making sure you are falling asleep when it is dark out, which will help your circadian rhythm.  

When you first start to work on your sleep schedule it may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be - it may just take some time. Try doing things like creating a wind-down routine and tracking your sleep schedule to get a better understanding of where you're at and where you can improve. Be patient with yourself and remember that consistency is key! If you are in need of more than just a consistent sleep schedule, Yorhom has CPAP therapy products available to help aid in a good night’s rest for those with sleep apnea.