Alaska Sleep Education Center

2021 Should Be The Year You Prioritize Sleep

Getting a good nights sleep should be one of your top priorities this year The benefits to the right of number of Zzzs are innumerable and immeasurable If youre not convinced by the reasons below put yourself on a two week 8 hour a night sleep challenge and see how you look feel and operate during that time

Look Better
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that you dont look your best without sleep You may have noticed the bags under your eyes or the pasty look to your skin after staying up late one too many nights in a row Luckily there is plenty of scientific evidence which shows that sleep is necessary for healthy skin For example anti aging melatonin is produced while you sleep
Damage to your skin from daytime exposure to the elements can be repaired through the release of collagen and the lack of cortisol the stress hormone while you sleep Once your skin is happier youll feel more like working on other physical improvements such as using BHMD thick and full brow enhancing serum or getting a new haircut to frame your bright eyes

Feel Better
If youve ever used lack of sleep as an excuse for being snappish or grumpy then you know that the reverse is also true When you wake up refreshed your good mood carries over into the rest of the day While you sleep your brain has time to process all the minutiae of the day You often wake up with a new and better perspective on problems that seemed unsolvable just 12 hours before Lack of sleep over an extended period can lead to depression anxiety and the inability to handle even the smallest problems

Work Productively
The better rested you are the more productive youre likely to be Sleep helps you store new information into the right parts of your brain for later recall If youve ever experienced the phenomenon of reading when youre tired and getting to the end of the page with no memory of what you had just read then you understand how important sleep is to memory and focus Give your brain a chance to work smart and efficiently by giving it plenty of rest

Get Healthier
Sleep can have all sorts of benefits to your health Everyone experiences varying degrees of stress during the day and cortisol is released into your system The more stressed you are the more cortisol is released When this happens your blood pressure goes up and your heart pumps faster Now imagine operating on just a few hours sleep so that every little thing from getting cut off in traffic to looking for a lost shoe shoots cortisol into your bloodstream Your heart spends the day being just as stressed as you On a full nights sleep you might be able to wave the arrogant driver on and pick different footwear without a blip to your blood pressure
To add insult to insomnia another side effect of lack of sleep is higher production of the appetite boosting hormone ghrelin and lower production of the Im full hormone leptin In other words it will be easier to stick to your diet and make smart food choices when your mind is rested
The last time you got sick was probably a time of high stress in your life Its unfortunate but you often get kicked when youre already down Quality sleep helps your body fight off viruses There is even evidence that shows that your body develops more antibodies after receiving a vaccine if you have effective sleep patterns
Finally its super easy to convince yourself to skip exercise if you got a bad nights sleep This creates a pattern thats difficult to get out of Exercise helps you sleep better and when you use lack of sleep as an excuse not to exercise you set yourself up for failure over and over
Plan to focus on sleep this year Set a goal to do whatever it takes to get your 8 hours of Zzzs Youll likely be amazed at the ways you feel and look better
Its your turn You deserve a good nights sleep and with this you have a blueprint on how to accomplish it Now you can fall asleep faster sleep better and wake up with all the energy in the world
Some techniques might be easier to include in your day and night schedule as compared to others Try and test and see what works and stick to it
Its time to put these techniques into practice and make sleep your top priority  The first step is to go see your doctor or give Alaska Sleep Clinic a call 
Improve Your Sleep  Improve Your Life
author avatar
Jennifer Hines
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Alaska Sleep Clinic's Blog

Our weekly updated blog aims to provide you with answers and information to all of your sleeping questions.

Brent Fisher, MBA, FACHE, FACMPE
President and Chief Executive Officer

“Alaska Sleep Clinic has a history of providing the most comprehensive sleep medicine services in the state of Alaska. Its potential has only begun. I am here to take these high-quality, comprehensive services to all Alaskans.”

Experience

Brent Fisher has held leadership positions spanning a wide variety of complex and start-up organizations: manufacturing (pharmaceutical & medical device), software development, hospitals (academic and community), medical groups, consulting, hospice, military, engineered devices, engineered plastics, and private equity.

Publications and Organizations

His writings have been published in various magazines, trade journals, and medical journals, including the Physician Executive Journal, Healthcare Executive, Modern Healthcare, Group Practice Journal, New England Journal of Medicine, and Journal of Healthcare Management (Best Article Award).

He has served on the Board of Directors of professional associations, civic organizations, and businesses.

Hobbies and Activities

Brent enjoys being with his family, serving in the community, hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting.