Page 18 - The Dispatch Febuary 2017

TEXAS MILITARY DEPARTMENT
REAL GUIDANCE

By Jessie Trofe, MA, LPC

THE IMPORTANCE OF SWEET DREAMS

Often we downplay the importance of sleep and the toll levels of sleep, which includes Rapid Eye Movement sleep,
it takes on us when we are lacking it. We forge on until the last stage of each 90 minute sleep cycle in which the
we finish our projects, sacrificing hours of sleep that are brain processes information from the day and stores it in
needed to restore our bodies and minds. Then we hurry to the long-term memory. When we don’t reach these deep-
work the next morning to do it all over again, performing er levels of sleep AND don’t cycle through them several
at 50 percent rather than 100 percent because that’s what times throughout the night, we feel depleted, experience
we have gotten used to, and that is all we feel we can give long-term memory problems and deprive our body of much
without collapsing, physically and/or mentally. Maybe we needed restoration (and we accelerate our aging). So the
even begin to believe that good sleep will never find us, and first step is recognizing the powerful role sleep has on our
we just have to “function” on the sleep we can get. It may overall well being and actively making it a priority.
feel like these sleep problems will always persist, but sci-
ence actually is on our side. Turns out if we practice certain LEARN WHEN TO WAKE UP Have there been times you
sleep-promoting habits, we can positively impact our sleep. got 8 to 8.5 hours of sleep, but woke up feeling groggy? I
The trick is learning these helpful habits and actually putting know I have and then wondered what was wrong with me.
them into practice. After all, wasn’t I supposed to be getting at least 8 hours
of sleep? One problem was that I was setting my alarm to
TIPS FOR IMPROVING SLEEP ring in the middle of a sleep cycle, pulling me out of deep
sleep and causing me to feel groggy. Instead, set your alarm
to wake you up during the beginning of a 90 minute sleep
LEARN TO PRIORITIZE SLEEP Sleep is a restorative time cycle, which is when we experience our lightest sleep (See
the body needs in order to repair muscles and tissues, sup- “90 Minute Sleep Cycle” box). This way you wake up feeling
port the immune system and build energy needed for the more refreshed and ready to start the day. I aim for at least
next day. These functions are only possible during deeper
five sleep cycles a night (7.5 hours of sleep), which falls

18 TheDISPATCH FEBRUARY 2017