Restorative Sleep Overview

Sleep is a High Priority Basic Need

• We have a biological need for adequate sleep for health and performance.
• Think of sleep as the maintenance space for our mind and body. While we sleep, our body and brain are cleaning up and reparing themselves by healing illness or injury, storing important information we learned that day, and clearing out the trash that we don’t need anymore.
• Healthy sleep is important for brain and body functioning, mood, mental health, and physical health.
• Inadequate sleep hurts performance and functioning, and contributes to chronic health issues, disease, and early death.
• According to the National Sleep Foundation (2015), "for healthy individuals with normal sleep, the appropriate sleep duration" is as follows:
  • 9-11 hours for school aged children,
  • 8-10 hours for teenagers,
  • 7-9 hours for young adults and adults,
  • and 7-8 hours for older adults.

Improving Sleep

• A routine sleep schedule promotes a natural sleep-wake cycle
• The on/off switch for melatonin, the sleep hormone, is triggered by darkness and light
• Drinking enough water throughout the day and keeping the sleep environment cool at night helps the body cool itself for sleep
• Daytime stress management, physical activity, and engaging in relaxation activities before bed promote activating the relaxation response