Five Signs You Need More Sleep in 2008

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) wants us all to resolve to get more sleep in 2008. Why? You can't lose weight and exercise more, be smarter and more productive, be a better parent, better partner, better whatever - if you are chronically sleep deprived. Here are five signs you might not be getting all the sleep you really need:

1. Asleep at the wheel? If you are driving drowsy, you are probably not getting enough sleep.
2. Depressed, irritable, grumpy? Lack of sleep can mess up your mood.
3. Making mistakes and forgetting things: your brain needs sleep to refresh, regenerate and replenish. Otherwise, your short term memory and concentration may be impaired.
4. Feeling sick and run down? Your immune system needs sleep to repair itself too. Help your body fight off all the viruses trying to invade by getting sleep!
5. Drinking coffee all day long: If you are hooked on caffeine you really need to give yourself a break and get some sleep.

Most adults need 8 hours of sleep a night, teens need more. Make sure they use their computers in a common room, otherwise they will be up chatting on MySpace until midnight and then refuse to get out of bed in the morning. Sony makes a nice little alarm clock/docking station for their Ipod...that is my alternative to shouting over the bedside in the morning in 2008.

My personal prescription for sleep is early morning meditation. I am one of those fortunate people who don't need a lot of sleep. When I wake up in the wee hours, though, I like to plug in the brain wave CD's and enter a deep theta state to start my day. Tools for Wellness offers CD's for delta state training - for sleep promotion and healing.

Thank you dsanden for use of photo Father and son.