Sleeping for your health:

Whether you get enough sleep or not has a big impact on your health! I remember being told things in the past such as sleep improves your memory and is restorative to body tissues. This is true and it doesn't surprise me when I see a reference from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that says not getting enough sleep can lead to chronic illnesses. The CDC also reports that not getting enough sleep is a problem in our nation:

"More than one-quarter of the U.S. population report occasionally not getting enough sleep, while nearly 10% experience chronic insomnia" (CDC, 2011).

So what can we do to ensure we get more sleep each night?
Healthline offers some suggestions including:
*Having proper sleeping routines or habits
*Not smoking since cigarettes are a stimulant, which in turn could contribute to the problem of not being able to fall asleep
*Avoiding a lot of caffeine due to caffeine also being a stimulant and contributing to not being able to fall asleep
*Avoiding drinking a lot of alcohol. Alcohol may be a depressant rather than a stimulant at first, but it also does not allow for deeper stages of sleep to take place
*Participating in regular exercise routines on a daily basis can aid in having a good nights sleep
*Having a healthy diet is also said to aid in having a good nights sleep
*Using behavioral type of therapies to help get rid of insomnia such as certain relaxation techniques
*Drugs used for insomnia may be of option to some people. Of course, this would need to be discussed with your physician. It is a good idea to discuss even over the counter sleep aids with your physician rather than just taking something you see
(Healthline, 2010).
All of these above ideas to aid in sleep could be used in combination with each other.

References:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011, January). Sleep and sleep disorders. Retrieved March
    
     16, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/sleep/

Healthline. (2010, October). Insomnia treatments. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from

     http://www.healtline.com/health/insomnia-treatments