Sleep

    I love the fall.      It is my favorite time of year.      It is when we turn the clocks back and have an extra hour to sleep!
      Are you a night owl or a lark?        Do you burn the candle at both ends?        Do you go to bed late and get up early?       Do you nap or fall asleep when you sit down?  

sleep |slēp|noun1 a condition of body and mind such as that which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended
    Sleep is the most cost effective health program.  If you are not getting enough sleep it can lead to sleep deprivation and many serious health issues including increased stroke risk, obesity and memory loss.  There are many studies that prove the danger in not enough sleep, from car accidents to weight gain.  
We need to prioritize sleep the same way as diet and exercise.
Discipline.
    Our bodies like routine when it comes to sleep.  It allows natural circadian rhythms to kick in.  Altering our sleep and wake times can throw our body clock out of whack.  Research shows that a regular wake time and sleep time are important to health.  Don't sleep in on the weekends.  Have a regular wake time and stick with it.  If you get the right amount of sleep all week you won't need to play catch up on the weekend.
    Sleep provides brainpower.  Sleep helps us learn.  Your brain processes what you learn while you are asleep.  This is more than theory.  There are research studies that have proven this in many settings. Tom Rath, in his book, Eat Move Sleep, says "chronic sleep impairment is bad for your overall mental ability and akin to aging four to seven years."  I want to keep those four to seven years cognitively for as long as I can and if sleep is part of the answer then I will make sleep a priority, a habit to incorporate into my life. 
Stop reading your email and Facebook at night  right before you sleep.About an hour before you turn in, turn off all electronics.   Maybe this would be a good time to learn to meditate.Snuggle with a pet or child.Read a book.Visualize your day and how you want it to be tomorrow.  Pray.Write down what you are grateful for.Do some deep breathing exercises.
Relax and let the day go.
Our lives are the sum of those little decisions we make every day.  Make them count.-Tom Rath
p.s. Short blog this week...going to sleep!