How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

According to data from Statista, the following are among the most popular New Year’s resolutions in the U.S.:

• Saving money
• Exercising more
• Eating healthier
• Losing weight
• Spending less time on social media
• Reducing stress

Achieving these goals is often more manageable when you change aspects of your lifestyle. Are any of the above on your list of resolutions? You may benefit from getting more sleep if so. Sleeping more every night can boost your odds of keeping your New Year’s resolutions.

Getting proper rest can help you keep your resolutions in the following ways:

Sleep Promotes Physical Health

Sleep restores your energy. Naturally, you’ll be more inclined to exercise if you have the energy. In addition, sleep helps your body heal and recover after intense workouts.

According to Scientific American, getting enough sleep can also reduce food cravings. You may find you’re less likely to overeat if you correct your sleep hygiene.

Research from the University of Chicago shows that improved sleep hygiene can lead to weight loss. When participants in a study corrected their sleep habits and schedules, they ended up consuming fewer daily calories. These participants lost weight as a result.

Sleep Reduces Stress

Getting enough sleep may be an effective way to guard against stress during waking hours, according to a study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The study asked salaried workers how long they sleep on a given night and how much stress they experience on a given day. Researchers found that salaried workers who get less than five hours of sleep on a typical night are at a greater risk of experiencing elevated stress levels than others.

True, workers who experience stress may already be prone to lack of sleep. Lack of sleep can worsen stress, but stress can also interfere with sleep, resulting in an unhealthy cycle. That said, more sleep may provide someone with the energy to tackle the causes of their stress.

Sleep Gives Us a Break from Social Media

If possible, putting down the phone (and other digital devices) for at least one hour before bed is wise. Getting away from overstimulation can help you wind down.

Adopting healthy sleep habits may also reduce your social media usage overall. If you’re sleeping instead of scrolling Facebook, and one of your resolutions was to reduce social media use, you’re achieving one of your New Year’s resolutions without consciously doing so.

Forcing yourself to avoid social media and digital devices in general before sleep may also cause you to explore other activities, like reading. You might thus start to develop habits that replace your social media habits.

Contact a Sleep Specialist to Schedule a Consultation

“Getting more sleep” isn’t equally easy for every person. The right diagnosis and solution may be key to helping you adjust your sleep schedule properly. Once you adjust your sleep, your overall physical and mental health may also improve.

At Silent Night Therapy, our team can help you determine what’s getting between you and a good night’s rest. Get started today by contacting us online or calling us at 631-983-2463 to schedule your consultation. We have offices in West Babylon and Patchogue, New York, to serve you.