Good sleep habits make for good sleep management. Creating habits around sleep will help you get the best sleep possible.

Here are some habits that will improve your sleep.

Set a time to go to sleep and a time to wake up and do this every day, even on weekends.

Your bedroom needs to be dark, quiet, relaxing, and comfortable.

Leave the electronic devices in another room. TVs, computers, and phones can interrupt your sleep.

Stay away from caffeine, alcohol, and large meals close to bedtime.

Daily exercise, if you are physically active during the day you will sleep better at night.

People need to get good sleep at night to ensure that they have proper cognitive and behavioral functions. Poor sleep can lead to serious problems. Studies have shown that insufficient sleep leaves people vulnerable to reduced cognition, delayed reactions, attention lapses, and mood swings.

People can develop a tolerance to sleep deprivation. They may not be aware that their brain and body are struggling because of the lack of sleep. In addition, a lack of sleep is linked to a greater risk of certain medical conditions and diseases. These include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, heart disease, poor mental health, and early death.

1. Sleep can boost the immune system. Sleep allows the body to rest and can give added energy to the immune system to fight off things like colds and flu.

2. Good sleep helps prevent weight gain. If you don’t get the sleep you need your body produces ghrelin which is an amino acid that increases appetite. The body also produces less leptin, which is a hormone that tells you when you are full. When you are tired it is harder to fight off junk food cravings.

3. Sleep can help your heart. A lack of sleep can increase the levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. This can increase blood pressure and increases the risk of heart attacks.

4. Good sleep leads to a more stable and better mood.

5. Sleeping increases productivity. Good sleep improves concentration and cognitive function. Better focus and thinking ability makes you more successful at work.

6. Lack of sleep can be dangerous. You are twice as likely to have a car accident if you haven’t gotten the sleep you need.

7. Sleep improves exercise performance. Sleep allows the body to recover. It also improves the physical capabilities needed for exercise and athletic activities.

8. Sleep improves memory. While you sleep, your mind is still working. It processes and consolidates the memories of the day. If you don’t get the sleep you need the brain doesn’t process these properly and they seem to get lost.

At different stages of life, we will need different amounts of sleep. The recommended amounts of sleep for each age group are as follows:

Ages 0-3 months (14-17 hours per day)
Ages 4-12 months (12-16 hours per day)
Ages 1-2 years (11-14 hours per day)
Ages 3-5 (10-13 hours per day)
Ages 6-12 (9-12 hours per day)
Ages 13-18 (8-10 hours per day)
Ages 18 and up (7 or more hours per night)

Dr. Kashif Siddiqui, MD, and the team at Broadway Family Clinic offer a wide variety of services, including sleep management. We are located at 3129 Kingsley Dr., Suite 340, Pearland TX. Please call us to find out how we can help and to book an appointment. We serve patients from Pearland TX, Shadow Creek Ranch TX, Southern Trail TX, Pomona TX, Southlake TX, Sienna Plantation TX, Fresno TX, Manvel TX and Rosharon TX.