Money, COVID & Sleep

12m · Calm Cash · 28 Jun 16:34

On average we spend about a third of our entire lives sleeping and we know that adults need on average about 7 hours of sleep every night to function effectively throughout the day. Now we are all different physiologically and some people will need a little more and some a little less. Also, at different developmental stages of our lives or during different life events our sleep needs will change. For example, kids and teens need 9 or more hours of sleep for proper brain development and life events, like having a baby, will create disruptive sleep patterns for both males and females. Here’s a crazy fun fact about having a newborn. The parents of newborn babies on average lose 6 months of sleep in the first 2 years of their child’s life. 6 months! That is crazy! But instead of getting into those specific life events, we will just talk about the needs of an average adult which means the magic number is going to be 7 hours. Today only 21% of Americans are getting 7 hours of sleep each night. That means 4 out of every 5 people are not rested and recovered to function effectively throughout the day. And there are a number of side-effects and physical and mental health concerns for those of us not getting the rest we need.  And the number 1 cause of this lack of sleep is the sleep disorder called Insomnia. For most people suffering from Insomnia, stress or anxiety is the culprit of the loss of sleep. Right now COVID is occupying our minds and causing this anxiety like we saw in that stat in the intro with 77% of Americans losing sleep because of the pandemic. I know that I’m one of those people and my wife is too. But when there isn’t a pandemic, money, relationships or family problems and work are the common causes of not getting the shut eye we all need. So how do we get better sleep?  Well first and foremost, attacking the underlying cause of any stress or anxiety is important for long term improvement in your sleep. If the anxiety of the coronavirus is keeping you up, check out the “Coping with COVID Stress” episode for some practical ways to manage your feelings. If money problems are stressing you out and you can’t sleep, you have to create a plan to chip away at those parts of your financial live that are causing concern. Calm Cash has strategies to help with asking for a raise, considering a side hustle, building emergency savings and in the coming weeks we will be focusing on budgeting and getting back to basics with where our money is going. So check out some of those past episodes and stay tuned for more strategies to help solidify your money situation and goals. There are some more tactical things you can do to start getting a better night’s sleep too. Here are 5 tips you can do now to get more zzz’s: First – a consistent schedule is everything. Having a set time to go to bed and waking up each day is a proven way to get longer, more consistent sleep. Second – the sleep environment is critical. The temperature of the room, noise level and the amount of light can all play significant factors in how much sleep and how restful that sleep is for you and your body. Third – get rid of the screens at least an hour before bedtime. Any light before bed isn’t good for getting to sleep but the blue light emitted by your phone or iPad is twice as bad as other types of light. This blue light impairs the secretion of melatonin which is the sleep-inducing hormone that helps us rest. Fourth – don’t have stressful conversations right before bed. If money conversations or relationship discussions create stress or anxiety, they should be had earlier in the day. And the fifth and last tip – use strategies to relax and calm down before your set bedtime. You have an hour now before bed right? Use this time to read, practice meditation or yoga. All of these activities have been studied and prove to boost relaxation and help you have a better night’s sleep. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/calmcash/message

The episode Money, COVID & Sleep from the podcast Calm Cash has a duration of 12:42. It was first published 28 Jun 16:34. The cover art and the content belong to their respective owners.