Sleep and a Healthy Brain

How often do you jump out of bed in the morning refreshed, wide awake, and ready to go? If you’re like most of us, it’s probably not often enough.  It happened to me this morning. I was shocked and amazed. Got me to wondering, what did I do right last night, so that I feel so good this morning? I obviously got a good night’s sleep, so how do I keep that up?

And if you’re concerned about your brain health, The Global Council on Brain Health says regular, quality sleep is of the utmost importance to a healthy brain as we age.  The council makes the following recommendations:

(1.)     Get seven to eight hours of sleep every day.

(2.)     Exercise. Regular physical activity promotes good sleep.

(3.)     Get up at the same time every day. Develop a regular sleep-wake schedule.

(4.)     Keep the bedroom dark, quiet and at a comfortable temperature.

(5.)     Limit use of bedroom for sleep.

(6.)     Expose yourself to light during the daytime.

The full report on the sleep-brain connection can be found at the AARP website. I talked with Dr. Richard Bogan, who is board certified in sleep medicine, about the mistakes we make when trying to get that good night’s sleep.