October 26, 2015
By: Sylvia Mathews Burwell, HHS Secretary
Are you staying healthy?
When we hear this, most of us think about our annual checkups, how many fruits and vegetables we eat, or whether we exercised enough for the day. But there’s an important tool we can’t forget: our pillows. When it comes to our health, sleeping habits can be just as important as diet and exercise.
Thanks to research from scientists from around the world, including our colleagues at the National Institutes of Health, we are learning just how crucial a good night’s rest is. Though new research has started to question how different our sleeping patterns today are from those of earlier societies, the advice from the public health community and sleep experts still strongly says that better sleep means better health.
You’ll probably spend about a third of your entire life sleeping. And while some people used to think that this time was spent with a quiet mind and rested body, the truth is that your body is hard at work during those hours. While you sleep, your brain is forming the neural pathways that help us learn, create memories and develop new insights. And your body is setting a pattern for the release of hormones essential to how you use energy and protect against infection.
READ MORE: Your Health Counts on Counting SheepWhen we hear this, most of us think about our annual checkups, how many fruits and vegetables we eat, or whether we exercised enough for the day. But there’s an important tool we can’t forget: our pillows. When it comes to our health, sleeping habits can be just as important as diet and exercise.
Thanks to research from scientists from around the world, including our colleagues at the National Institutes of Health, we are learning just how crucial a good night’s rest is. Though new research has started to question how different our sleeping patterns today are from those of earlier societies, the advice from the public health community and sleep experts still strongly says that better sleep means better health.
You’ll probably spend about a third of your entire life sleeping. And while some people used to think that this time was spent with a quiet mind and rested body, the truth is that your body is hard at work during those hours. While you sleep, your brain is forming the neural pathways that help us learn, create memories and develop new insights. And your body is setting a pattern for the release of hormones essential to how you use energy and protect against infection.
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