We’ve said it all before, but what better time for a recap than the end of a year?
We love this time because it gives us all a reset button. It’s a built-in moment when we pause to consider our lives; what we’re grateful for and what we’d like to change.
Not that you can’t reset at any time—you certainly don’t need a New Year’s resolution to make changes. But this is a great opportunity to take stock, since force of habit makes it easier!
This year, we’d like to challenge you to think about your quality of life in terms of sleep…just as we challenge ourselves.
After all, sleep brings a lot of benefits to life. And sleep deprivation has a lot of bad side effects. For example, sleep-deprived adults have four times the risk of experiencing stroke symptoms.
Lack of sleep contributes to obesity and increases the risk of diabetes. It also may cause memory loss in the short term and can create permanent cognitive issues over time. Other research indicates it may increase the risk of cancer and heart disease. Based on research with rats, scientists believe sleep deprivation can even contribute to osteoporosis.
In a nutshell, not getting enough sleep is just plain bad for us. Research shows short sleepers tend to die younger.
But sleeping at least seven hours a night—and getting good-quality, uninterrupted sleep—can improve your cognitive processes, emotional coping, immune system and even athleticism. People who sleep well tend to be happier, healthier and even wealthier, due to smarter and more productive work. And who doesn’t want all of that?
So why not make it a New Year’s resolution for 2015 to get more and better sleep? At Urban Mattress, sleep is our business and we still have trouble with this one sometimes! It goes against the grain of our culture. But we all have a lot to live for—and sleeping well could mean we live longer, more productive, meaningful and healthy lives.
Happy New Year, Urbanites!