Madison Senior Center

Spring is officially here, and it made its debut on a beautiful, warm and sunny day. I hope that you were able to get out and move around or at least sit out on a balcony or porch and soak up some rays of sunshine on Sunday, the first day of spring.

March is Sleep Awareness Month, which I find ironic since we lose an hour of sleep to daylight savings time in March. Research over the years has shown that sleep is important for both mental and physical health, and “getting by” on less sleep is probably not something we should brag about. In fact, humans are the only mammals that willingly delay sleep. Below are a few other interesting facts about sleep that you may not know:

• Pain tolerance is reduced by sleep deprivation
• Sleep deprivation will kill you more quickly than food deprivation
• Within 5 minutes of waking up, 50% of your dream is forgotten
• Ideally, falling asleep at night should take you 10-15 minutes. If it takes you less than five minutes, changes are, you are sleep deprived.

The most commonly reported sleep disorder, insomnia, is experienced by approximately 10 to 15 percent of adults. Some people turn to sleeping pills or alcohol, but there are a number of natural alternatives to assist with sleeplessnell

Most of what we know about sleep has only been discovered in the last 20 years. Just think how much more will learn going forward.

https://www.dreams.co.uk/sleep-matters-club/25-facts-about-sleep