We talk about the pillars of good health being good diet and both strength and cardio exercise.
But perhaps we should add another pillar, because without it you can eat a perfectly healthy diet and be as fit as a world-class athlete and still run into many health issues.
Of course we're talking about sleep, and it is estimated that over 40 million Americans don't get enough of it.
And tests have shown that women who are sleep-deficient have 2.
5 times the levels of inflammation as men, possibly because men are protected by higher levels of testosterone.
Some of the ways lack of sleep, defined as less than six hours a night can damage your health: 1.
Promote weight gain.
Lack of sleep causes people to feel hungry, even when they have just eaten.
It can throw your entire system into an imbalanced state.
2.
Disrupts the production of melatonin.
This is secreted at night by the pineal gland and helps regulate sleep.
If sleep is disrupted its lack of production can be harmful in other areas, such as inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells.
3.
The immune system.
Sleep is necessary to keep the production of immunities in our system at their optimum levels.
4.
Impacting memory.
Tests have shown conclusively that lack of sleep, even four or five hours in one night can decrease problem solving and cause you to think less clearly.
There are many good ways to fight sleep deprivation, and one we don't recommend is sleeping pills.
They normally allow only fragmented sleep and often lead to side effects of their own, such as drowsiness well after the time you should be awake.
Here are some better, more natural solutions: 1.
Create a consistent time and place for sleeping.
All of us have an internal body clock, and if you have the ability to plan and the discipline to go to sleep at the same time every night, it is likely you will fall into the routine.
Where you sleep should be conducive to sleeping: quiet, dark and cool.
Even a little bit of light can disrupt your internal clock.
The optimum temperature, studies show, is between 60-68 degrees.
2.
Exercise, but not just before you sleep.
Many studies have shown at least 30 minutes of exercise will improve your sleep that night.
However, you shouldn't exercise within three hours of bedtime.
3.
Watch what you eat and drink before going to bed.
Alcohol may make a person feel relaxed and even drowsy, but it's terrible for sleep.
Alcohol prevents a person from dropping into the most important phase of sleep, the deeper stages of sound sleep.
Eating especially certain foods like sugar or grains can also be problematic.
They can cause spikes and drops in your blood sugar, resulting in restless or no sleep.
4.
Power down the gadgets.
Just prior to turning in for the night you want move yourself to a mellow state, and this is better done reading or just meditating or doing relaxation techniques.
What you don't want is to overstimulate the senses, and that's what watching TV or playing computer games can do.
You probably can't make a better time investment than regularly getting a proper amount of sleep.
Not only are you at less risk for many health ailments, but that extra couple of hours invested in sleep each night will pay back in extra productivity the next day.