How much does sleep contribute to our overall happiness?  This is the question I’ve been pondering and as it turns out - a lot   

Transcript:

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2-ish minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and if we’ve been together for any length of time, you’ve probably heard me talk about sleep.  I think sleep is one of the more important things we can give our bodies and yet, it is the most underutilized.  I hear people, like my husband, almost use sleep deprivation as a badge of honor.  “I only need 5 hours of sleep a night,” have you heard that before? Yeah, I don’t buy it. 

Last week I took my kids to their well-visit annual doctor's appointments, and one of the questions was “how much do you sleep”?  We tend to all agree that kids need sleep.  

I’ve been wondering how we value sleep and rest in our society as adults? I question why rest and sleep are not more valued in our society.  We need sleep to restore our factory settings.  We need sleep to let our brains catalog our day. 

But one thing is true, rest is not the same thing as sleep, so I wanted to dig into this a little bit today.  

Rest is such a healthy part of living. Whether it’s a good night sleep or even a nap mid-day, the benefits of rest are endless.  

According to Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith, many people think of sleep and rest as the same thing when in fact they are not. She goes on to suggest that there are 7 types of rest that every person needs:

1. Physical rest. This can be passive physical rest like sleeping and taking a nap. Or active through activities that improve our health such as yoga, stretching and massage.

1. Mental rest. Such an important one for us when we have busy minds and thoughts. I often say my brain feels like it has a couple squirly with ADD inside there just running around.  So creating time and space to calm the thoughts can really help. 

1. Sensory rest. Switch off completely from screens. This also includes noisy cities and music blaring all day.  It’s finding quiet times throughout the day. 

1. Creative rest. Get out into nature to take  a break and restore your creativity. This is where we pause in nature or even admire a building on a city block.  It’s time to focus on something else.

1. Emotional rest. We so often pour in to others so make sure you have time and space to process your feelings and nurture yourself.

1. Social rest. Make sure you spend time with people who are positive and uplifting. This might also mean cutting back on people-pleasing activities.  

1. Spiritual rest. Make space for activities such as prayer and meditation. Time to think above yourself. 

And, research shows that sleep deprivation is bad for our physical and mental health.  The well rested and sleep fulfilled brain is better at processing feelings and balancing emotions, so your day will just be better 

Until next time, I hope that tonight you get a good night's sleep and you find moments to “rest” throughout your day.  And remember, kindness is contagious, go out into the world and spread some kindness today. 

Inspired by: https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/rest-mental-health-saundra-dalton-smith-ted.html 

And 

https://ideas.ted.com/the-7-types-of-rest-that-every-person-needs/

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