Many Iowans may be running low on energy this afternoon, as the shift on Sunday to Daylight Saving Time meant they had to try to go to sleep — and get up — an hour earlier, so they may’ve lost two hours of shut-eye last night.
Wellness education specialist Christie Harris says powering down and getting a good seven or eight hours of sleep each night is crucial to our physical and mental health.
Christie Harris (Gundersen photo)
“Sleep is so important, and when it comes to self-care, unfortunately, I think it’s one of the first things that we kind of drop to the wayside,” Harris says. “If we have things that come up, it’s easy to say, ‘Oh, I can just keep going,’ and I could give you 50 hours in a week, and I think we probably would still have the same situation for many people.”
This is Sleep Awareness Week, what she says is a time to recognize the many benefits of getting enough Zs.
“It is our time for our bodies to be able to rejuvenate, and it takes time to be able to process through what’s happened through the day,” Harris says. “So if there’s one thing that I can say to folks when it comes to wellness is don’t skimp on your sleep. It’s so important.”
Switching off all screens an hour or so before heading to bed can help contribute to a restful night, she says, and while smartphones are a convenience, they’re also a big distraction.
“There’s a lot of people that will say, ‘Well, that’s where my alarm clock is. My alarm clock’s on my phone,’ and I actually encourage people, if you can, take them out of the bedroom,” Harris says, “because it’s easy if you’re having a hard time falling asleep, it’s easy to want to grab your phone, or if you are on your phone before you go to bed, now we’ve started to stimulate our brain.”
Parents may consider confiscating their children’s phones at bedtime, as Harris says she’s seen many cases of kids staying up until one o’clock, scrolling social media.
Harris works for Emplify Health by Gundersen, which has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.