Sleep is the Need We Crave

Approximately 60 million people in the United States alone require medication for a restful sleep. Researchers tell us that sleep is so important that even losing an hour or two a night can interfere with a person’s judgment and attitude.

However, scientists do seem to know for certain that people who cheat themselves of sleep have a difficult time getting through the day. Sleep is so important that just losing an hour or two a night can be detrimental to one’s daily functioning and decision-making.

Sleep solutions – a To-Do List

News from Baylor’s Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory offers hope for people who long for a refreshing sleep through the simple act of creating a to-do list. The article: “The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: A polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists” was reported in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, (January 2018). As discussed in a January post: “For Sleep that Eludes Millions, This To-Do List Offers Hope,” it was reported that:

“Bedtime worry, including worrying about incomplete future tasks, is a significant contributor to difficulty falling asleep. Previous research showed that writing about one’s worries can help individuals fall asleep. We investigated whether the temporal focus of bedtime writing—writing a to-do list versus journaling about completed activities—affected sleep onset latency.”

Sleep research in JCSM: Top studies of 2022 – aasm.org

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The below two lists highlight noteworthy studies published in 2022 in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine that captured the attention of the public and health care professionals.

To put the sleep dilemma in perspective consider who it is that needs sleep. Michael Scullin and Donald Bliwise, reporting in Perspectives on Psychological Science in January 2015, conducted an analysis and determined from previously published research that sleep is most important to young people. As people age they may need less sleep.

However, for people in relationships, a small study at University of California, Berkeley, presented at the Society for Personality, had an interesting finding. A small study presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology in New Orleans in January 2013, found that tired couples forget to be grateful.

Those who are able to sleep successfully oftentimes relish getting into bed at night. Whether it is to hug a pillow or hug one’s spouse or lover—these people look forward to their bedtime ritual. (06.11.23)

Copyright 2023 Rita Watson