How Sleep Affects Overall Wellness

Who doesn’t fantasize about the elusive 9-hour slumber that leaves you feeling refreshed and energized? Good sleep is as important to our overall wellness as breathing and eating, but often seems unattainable. In this article, we dive head first into the world of ZZZs and address common questions about how sleep affects health and wellness. 

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

The right amount of sleep depends largely on age. Like most elements of health, we are all unique and require different things. How much sleep you need will vary depending on your lifestyle, bodily chemistry and health habits. For the most part, healthy adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night.

Why is Sleep important?

It’s easy to think of sleep as the brain and body shutting down, but in reality, your brain and body are very active while you are sleeping, overseeing a broad variety of biological upkeep. Skimping on your essential nights sleep can cause drowsiness, concentration issues and irritability, whereas adequate sleep helps to boost memory, keep you alert, fight infection, and replenish your energy. Getting enough quality sleep can also protect your emotional, physical and social health. 

How is Sleep Connected to Wellness?

Emotional Wellness

Have you ever missed a good night's sleep and woke up feeling and looking like grumpy cat? We’ve all been there. Sleep and mental health are closely related. It’s very circular; your quality and quantity of sleep can affect your mood just like your mood can affect how much sleep you are getting. Ultimately, sleep is integral to your emotional wellness and supporting your sleep cycles may lead to feeling more calm and balanced.

Physical Wellness

The relationship between whole body physical health and sleep is well documented and ever expanding. Sleep encourages the body to rest, restore, and recover for another day. Exercising during the day can help you fall asleep with more ease at night. The timing of your workout is crucial to the effect exercising has on sleep. A good rule of thumb is to avoid cardio or strenuous exercise three hours of scheduled bedtime. 

Social Wellness

Social Wellness focuses on nurturing meaningful relationships with those around you. Positive social habits help you maintain a supportive system and stay healthy in your mind and body. Between friends, family, partners, and coworkers, sometimes there is social pressure that could impact your sleep schedule. 

A 2018 Sleep Study by the journal of Nature Communications, found that people who were sleep deprived felt more lonely and less social around other people. Not getting proper sleep affects so many aspects of your life, it makes sense that without energy or motivation, your social wellness is at risk. 

Tips to Help You Fall Asleep 

Sleep Hygiene is a catchall term for healthy sleep habits. Good Sleep habits can lead you to the sweet ZZZs you are seeking. The CDC offers a variety of ways to improve your sleep hygiene, we summarized them below: 

• Consistency is Key - Be consistent. Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning (yes, even on Saturday night!)

• Zen Bedroom - Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature. Basically, turn your room into your dream spa experience!

• Wind Down - Have a nice pre-sleep routine to wind down from the day and get your body into a calm state. We love taking a bath with our new Chamomile Lavender Soaking Salts to feel nice and ready for a restful sleep.

• Limit the Blue Light - This is a hard one, but also maybe the most important. Remove electronic devices, such as TVs, computers, and smartphones, from the bedroom. Limiting your eyes' exposure to blue light before bed will help you fall aleep faster.

• Watch What You’re Putting in Your Body - We all love a midnight snack, but avoiding large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime can really help your body get a better quality sleep during the night.

• Work it out - Get some exercise. Being physically active during the day can help you fall asleep more easily at night (but try not to exercise right before bed). 

Still Need A Little Help Falling Asleep?

The sleep you deserve might not be as far off as you think! Following the tips above to help your sleep hygiene can enhance your emotional, physical and social wellbeing, but sometimes you need still need some additional support to get you into the land of counting sheep. 

CBD, in-combination with the right ingredients (such as Melatonin, Gaba, or Magnesium), can help to calm many of the root causes of sleeplessness and lead you closer to the promise of a good night's rest. Plus, CBD is non-habit forming and non-intoxicating so no need to worry about feeling lethargic in the morning.

Vena's Restful Night Capsules are a great isolate option that blend CBD with Melatonin and Magnesium to support a healthy sleep cycle. If you're looking for some deeper sleep, our Full Spectrum Restful Night Bites combine Full Spectrum and Melatonin in the form of a delicious gummy so you can satisfy your sweet-tooth and prepare for a blissful night's rest. If you are interested in the connection between CBD and sleep, you can read more here.