We’re coming up on the new year, and once again, you have people talking about new years resolutions. As always, this is a time that is, in many ways, cliché. We’re not all going to make resolutions. Most of us are unlikely to keep them – at least, unless the resolution is something easy or simple that we’re already in the process of doing.
There’s also the question of why it’s a “New Year’s Resolution” at all. If you truly care about doing something for yourself, you need not wait for the new year. You can simply do it, today.
But there is, and likely always will be, something that makes a new year feel like the right time to start something new, and with that in mind, let’s start with a resolution that is:
- Easy to keep and simple to implement
- Broad in its benefits
- Uncontroversially good
This year, if you only have one resolution, make it to get some much, much, much needed regular sleep.
The Benefits of Sleep as a New Years Resolution for All Resolutions
We know we need to get more sleep. The average person is sleeping maybe 6.5 hours a night, with maybe a nap once or twice during the week. That is not enough sleep, and certainly not what we need as we get older.
This amount of sleep is also misleading. It’s often enough for us to function, but it is nowhere near enough for us to thrive, and that’s where we’re going to need more if we want to achieve more.
The thing about sleep is that it touches everything we do:
- It helps us manage stress and reduce anxiety.
- It gives us more energy for achieving our goals.
- It helps us focus, concentrate, and improve your memory.
But even these are an oversimplification of all that sleep achieves, and the best way to understand the value of sleep is to look at the New Year’s Resolutions that people typically make and see how sleep can help with them. For example:
- I want to be healthier – Sleep is one of the best things we can do for our health. It helps our body heal, improves the health of our brain and gut, supports our organ function, and much more.
- I want to exercise – It is very hard to exercise when your body and mind feel tired. When they’re awake, going on a run, lifting weights, and other forms of exercise become easier to do and easier to imagine doing, as you have more energy to engage in them.
- I want to eat better – Poor sleep affects how you eat. When you haven’t slept well, your body craves more sugar and tends to desire a greater quantity of food, making it difficult for us to manage our diets the way we want to.
- I want to start a business/make more money – There are only so many hours in the day. If you’re feeling sharp and awake, you’re going to be better able to commit yourself to your goals much better than if you are tired early or not able to concentrate and focus.
- I want a more intimate, loving relationship – Sleep can also help with relationships. Going to bed together at a reasonable time makes it much easier to spend time together and be intimate. It’s also easier to spend time together and be present when one or both partners is not tired and distracted.
- I want to improve my mental health – Of course, one of the greatest benefits to sleep is better mental health. Scientific studies have consistently shown that sleep is on par with therapy as one of the best things you can do for your mental health, and while it is not a replacement for seeing a psychotherapist, it is a very effective way to manage stress, reduce anxiety, and much more.
As you can see, no matter what resolution you have, sleep is the number one way to improve it. It is the single most effective technique we have to help you reach your goals, and the one that is also easiest to implement.
You won’t miss watching 2 episodes of the show you’re streaming instead of 3. You’re not going to miss scrolling on your phone an extra hour. You’re not going to miss playing a little bit less video games, and you’re not going to miss turning off your laptop and seeing what you and your partner can talk about in the bedroom.
Sleep touches everything you do, and so the best way resolution to make, and the one that can be very easy to keep, is to simply force yourself to go to bed at a more reasonable hour. You won’t regret it, and the benefits you experience will be substantial. For more information about sleep, or to get help for your mental health, contact Right Path Counseling, today.
