Quality of sleep, quantity of sleep, and using fewer sleep medications were associated with improved scores on several different assessments of emotional and physical health used by psychologists to asses well-being.
At the Department of Psychology at the University of Warwick in The United kingdom, researchers assess the sleep patterns of over 30,500 people in non-clinical settings over four years, to investigate the effects of sleep on well-being.
In their paper, “Changes in Sleep Duration, Quality, and medication Use are Prospectively Associated with Health and Wellbeing: Analysis of the UK Households Study,” the authors reports that their research demonstrated that improved sleep, quality, quantity, and reduced use of sleep meds, was strongly associated with scores comparable to winning a lottery jackpot of around 200,000 British pounds.
And their feelings were found to be equivalent to completing an eight week program of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.
They did significantly better on several accepted measure of psychological well-being and levels of physical and emotional health and ability to carry our daily activities.
In the University of Warwick press release, Dr. Nicole Tang, lead author of the study, is quoted as saying, “It is refreshing to see the healing potential of sleep outside of clinical trial settings, as this goes to show that the benefits of better sleep are accessible to everyone and not reserved to those with extremely bad sleep requiring intensive treatments.”
The paper, published in Sleep, recommends that improved sleep should be a focus of public health initiatives, because it is clear that this is “an effective, simple and cheap method of raising the health and wellbeing of society as a whole,” according to the release.
My husband and I have proved this for ourselves. Since 1997, we have been enjoying improved quality of sleep as a result of sleeping on a special sleep surface designed by the Japanese research and development company NIKKEN, back in 1979.
This unique sleep system incorporates technologies which help to relax, support, and comfort the sleeping body just as nature would if we were sleeping outside, away from stressful positive ions in the indoor air, away from the pervasive unnatural energy frequencies from alternating electrical current and WIFI, and closer to the earth’s magnetic field and to the healthful effects of sunlight, negative ions, and balance in nature.
We didn’t think we had any sleep challenges until we experienced better quality sleep and noticed we had more energy, breathed easier, and felt more restored each morning after purchasing the system. We were so impressed that we became independent salespeople for the system. If you are interested, please contact us, or explore for yourself at this link. http://www.nikken.com/randyrolfe/my-favorites.
At a lecture at the University of Pennsylvania a year or two ago, a sleep expert made a point of noting that typical sleep medications do not increase quality of sleep but only quantity of unconsciousness.
This British study is important is demonstrating that while less medication and more quality and quantity of sleep makes us feel better, lack of sleep, bad quality sleep, and using more sleep medication can lead to worsened medical and emotional states.
So make sure everyone in the family is turning off their cell phones, shutting down their computers, putting their digital clocks across the room, sleeping on a comfortable supportive mattress or mattress topper, in a room whose temperature and humidity is also comfortable. And do consider the NIKKEN Kenko Naturest Sleep System as an investment in the family’s wellbeing. http://www.nikken.com/randyrolfe/my-favorites.
