12 Healthy Resolutions For 2012 -- That Aren't Losing Weight

12 Healthy Resolutions For 2012 -- That Aren't Losing Weight
Americans are increasingly sleep deprived -- one survey found that nearly 30 percent of adults sleep six or fewer hours each night, according to the CDC, despite the fact that the target number should be between seven and nine hours a night. And while we often glorify sleep deprivation in our society -- pushing people to skimp on sleep to socialize, work or be more "productive" -- it has been linked to serious health problems, including memory impairment, decreased alertness, high blood pressure, stroke and obesity, to name a few -- one recent HuffPost blog compared the sleep deprivation epidemic to the cigarette smoking epidemic. Make 2012 the year you put sleep back on the priority list. Sleep is just as important for your health as getting exercise, fresh air and good food, explains HuffPost blogger Russell Rosenberg, Ph.D., CEO of the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and chairman of the board of the National Sleep Foundation. "It's an important piece to the overall health puzzle." Need a little motivation? While Rosenberg says many people are familiar with the short-term affects of sleep deprivation, they don't consider the long-term consequences."If you continue to abuse your sleep, chances are your health will be negatively impacted in the long run," he says, explaining that people often use the same excuses they use when they can't stick to a diet, exercise plan or other health behaviors -- they don't have the time or the discipline. "Like any of those other things, it just takes proper planning and scheduling." This year, resolve to check the gadgets at the door (research shows using them before bed can disrupt sleep) and commit to at least seven hours a night.
Source: www.huffingtonpost.com