"True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment." - William Penn

To tell you sleep is important is the understatement of the century, if you ask me. And I know it's no big news to you.

Most of us know we should get 7-9 hours of quality sleep a night. BUT... if I told you all the ways sleep is important you might be surprised.

Here's the top 10 Reasons Sleep is crucial to our health and wellbeing:

It keeps your immune system healthy and inflammation lower.
Helps keep you at a healthy weight. A 2020 analysis found that adults who sleep less than 7 hours per night were at a 41% increased risk of developing obesity.
It helps keep your blood sugar and hormones balanced and cravings away. Lack of sleep can increase hormones like grehlin, this tells you when you are hungry, and decrease leptin, which tells you when you are full, overall causing an unnecessary increase in appetite.
This is when our body takes the trash out and repairs itself, literally. The liver and kidneys clear things out while we sleep and more!
Improves brain function and memory.
More energy AND a better mood (less anxiety and depression).
Increase in production.
It helps our heart heal and repair, physically as well as emotionally.
Sleep keeps you safe and alert. Studies show lack of sleep makes its twice as likely of a car accident!
Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.

Here's a few things to try to get more hours and quality of sleep:

Stick to a bedtime routine and time.
Avoid all electronics 30-90 minutes before lights out.
Get blackout shades and set that thermostat to 64 degrees
Skip the late night meals, tobacco, caffeine and alcohol
Herbs (tea or tinctures) like chamomile, valerian, passionflower, lavender, hops and California poppy
Don't go to bed hungry, try a protein and fat snack, or foods like cherries, bananas, almonds or yogurt.
Magnesium supplement like Xymogen RelaxMax powdered drink or Throne Magnesium Glycinate capsules

Sleep is essential, and possibly one of the more important things we can do for our health, even including nutrition and exercise. So don't skip it!