So it’s time for your New Year’s Resolutions – what are you going to resolve to do this year? Exercise more? Lose weight? Work on your marriage? Get a promotion? What if I told you that one simple change would dramatically improve your chances of achieving all of those goals? Interested? I thought you would be.
The magic bullet, as it turns out, may be as simple as getting better sleep. If this year you resolve to really, really, finally make it to the gym more often – get more sleep. People who are sleep deprived have less energy and are less likely to exercise regularly than well rested counterparts. Think that the secret to weight loss is diet and exercise? Nope. It’s diet, excersise, and sleep. Studies have shown that people who get at least eight hours of sleep per night lose more weight than people who sleep less – even if their diet and exercise programs are the same. Marital satisfaction has also been linked to sleeping patterns – spouses of snorers have less sex, argue more, and report lower marital satisfaction scores than “non-snoring” couples. Snoring has even been cited as a leading cause of divorce. How about job performance – can sleep really impact my likelihood of getting a promotion? YES! Studies have shown that people with sleep disorders receive fewer promotions, and lower overall job performance measures than co-workers without sleep problems.
So in virtually all aspects of our lives, sleep really does make a difference, and one of the best ways to ensure that the new year is happier, healthier, and more prosperous is to simply get the sleep that you need.
Happy New Year!
Craig Schwimmer, MD, MPH, FACS
Medical Director and CEO
The Snoring Center
www.SnoringCenter.com
