Should Sleep be a New Year Resolution?

Should Sleep be a New Year Resolution?

It’s that time of year again – when we make a promise to ourselves that we’ll finally hit the gym, watch less television, lose weight, or spend more time with friends and family. But have you ever considered making a new year’s resolution that includes getting better sleep?

More than 40% of Australians do not get enough sleep to feel refreshed and capable of performing at their best. The average amount of sleep for an adult is roughly seven hours, with only 8% of people getting more than nine hours.

This holiday season is the perfect time to get rid of your alarm clock and consider making getting better sleep as part of your new year’s resolution. You’ll be surprised by the benefits more sleep may have on things like your memory, your work performance and even your waistline.

Keep reading below to find out why you should consider sleep as part of your new year’s resolutions for 2022.

Why sleep can help you stick to your resolutions

Every year most of us commit to a new year’s Resolution. It’s a popular ritual, and even if you’re not making resolutions, you’re probably making a mental note to live a better, healthier and happier 2022. In 2021 Finder estimated that 16.1 million Aussies made a new year’s resolution but more than 36% of us abandon our resolution within a month. By the middle of the year, the percentage of individuals who have abandoned their resolutions has risen to 81.3 percent. Does this sound like you?

Along with exercise and diet, sleep is one of the three pillars of health, but fatigue can contribute to lack of exercise, as well as increased appetite (particularly for junk food). If you’re planning on improving your diet or exercise habits as part of a new year’s resolution, changing your sleep habits in the new year may help.

Should Sleep be one of your new year’s Resolutions in 2022

According to the Finder study, over half of Australian adults (51 percent) want to lose weight to make up for the kilos acquired during the holiday, with greater fitness and weight loss at the top of the list of new year’s resolutions. More than one-third of Aussies (38%) say they want to eat healthier. This is no surprise to us as a similar study by the CSIRO and found that 39% of Australians acknowledged to gaining weight during the epidemic.

Meanwhile, two-fifths of Australians (42 percent) wanted to save more money or cut back on their spending in 2021.

The table below shows that only 13% of Aussies made sleep a priority as part of their new year’s resolutions. We, at SleepMaker would love see more Aussies make sleep a part of their new year’s resolution for 2022, especially since it can improve so many aspects of your life.

Top new year’s resolutions in 2021 were:

Sleep makes us happier 

Have you ever heard the expression “I woke up on the wrong side of the bed”? It’s a well-known expression that’s frequently used to describe someone who’s angry and grouchy! Although they aren’t really cranky because they woke up on the wrong side of the bed, the expression signifies that they are fatigued from not getting enough sleep. 

According to research, sleep deprivation is connected to an increase in negative emotions (anger, irritability, impatience, and depression) and a decrease in joyful moods. Sleep deprivation is a typical symptom of depression and anxiety disorders. It can also raise the risk of acquiring mental illnesses and perhaps contribute to them (Mood and sleep – Better Health Channel, 2021). 

Staying on track with your new year’s resolutions will be much easier if you’re feeling happy.  Make sure you check out our Sleep Makes Happy Sleep Guide here to learn other ways sleep can improve your mood.  

Sleep makes us heathier

Did you realise there’s a link between sleep and nutrition?

Diets heavy in saturated fat and poor in fibre, for example, may reduce the amount of deep, restorative sleep you experience. You may wake up more frequently if you consume too much sweets. Certain meals and beverages consumed close to night might also contribute to poor sleep.

If you’re having difficulties falling and staying asleep, it’s possible that your eating and drinking habits are to blame. Your desire or capacity to maintain a healthy lifestyle may be harmed by a lack of sleep, however the relationship between weight increase and obesity and short sleep patterns is not entirely evident, although Obesity and poor sleep patterns have been connected in a number of research throughout the years.

In the same way that getting a good night’s sleep may help you gain weight, obtaining a good night’s sleep can help you consume less calories throughout the day. When you don’t not get enough sleep, your body’s capacity to control food intake becomes hampered. So, if you’re part of the 51% of Aussies whose new year’s resolution is to lose weight, getting more sleep will definitely help.

Sleep makes us smarter

The prefrontal cortex in our brain may be thought of as the engine that propels our best performance (ABC, 2018). High-level functioning includes our ability to set and keep to goals, our ability to focus, our logical thinking, and our decision-making abilities. If our brain’s engine doesn’t have a chance to rest, it might start to backfire — literally!

To put it another way, if you’re having trouble being disciplined, making poor decisions, or if your willpower isn’t cutting it, it might be time to add more sleep to your new year’s resolution list.

Sleep research also shows that getting enough sleep enhances your memory, helps you learn quicker, makes you more disciplined, and boosts your productivity. To find out many more way sleep makes us smarter and why better sleep should be part of your new year’s resolutions check out this SleepMaker Sleep Guide: Sleep Makes Smart.

Sleep makes us stronger

Sleep is an essential component to any exercise program that many people overlook. It’s likely that your diet and exercise will deteriorate if you don’t get enough sleep each night (Vitale et al., 2019).

A good night’s sleep provides a number of benefits. To begin with, while you sleep, your body gets the time it requires to restore itself (Krueger et al., 2016). Second, this replenishment gives you the energy you need for the next day. Since sleep is so important for muscle growth, healing, and disease prevention it’s crucial for athletes, as well as anybody striving to improve their strength.

If you want to know more about how sleep makes us stronger, go ahead and check out this SleepMaker Sleep Guide: How sleep makes you strong.

New year’s resolutions require sleep to be successful

If you want to enhance your sleep as part of your new year’s resolutions for 2022, you may want to start by making tiny changes to your sleeping patterns.

These tips below will help you obtain the proper amount of sleep and enhance the quality of your sleep. They will also benefit your physical and emotional well-being.

Follow a routine: Following a bedtime routine can assist in the development of a habit that signals to your brain and body that it is time to retire. A consistent bedtime routine has also been demonstrated to assist new moms enhance their happiness and their child’s sleep.

Limit your caffeine intake: Limit yourself to two cups of coffee, tea, or other caffeinated beverages each day, ideally before midday.

Keep off your phone: The blue light generated by your phone and other electronic gadgets can interfere with your body’s normal sleep reaction at night. You can read more about how screen time can impact your sleep here.

Reduce your alcohol: Limit yourself to no more than 1-2 standard drinks each day. Although alcohol has a calming effect and can help you fall asleep, it frequently leads to waking up in the middle of the night and disordered sleep.

Keep a cool sleeping environment: Try to keep your bedroom temperature at 18 degrees and wear loose-fitting clothing if you can. If it doesn’t work, you might want to look into SleepMaker Mattresses with Kulkote. Choosing the right mattress to suit your body temperature as well as that of your significant other can be tough. We’ve found a technology out of the US that could help and it’s called KülKōte. It’s the same innovation that’s used in spacesuits to regulate an astronaut’s body temperature. The technology has been integrated into some of our mattresses and bedding, which means the surface of your bed or pillow pulls heat away from your body. You can read more about Kulkote here.

Run yourself a warm bath: Many people find that unwinding in a warm bath or shower before bed helps to calm their mind and body.

Find your perfect bed: Finding the right bed to match your own needs can help improve your quality of sleep. For example, SleepMaker’s Lifestyle range of mattresses is designed to provide a comfortable and affordable night’s sleep for those looking for a great value, quality bed that will stand the test of time.

Get a Better Night’s Sleep with SleepMaker

Along with Finder’s study into new year’s resolutions, Finder also recently awarded SleepMaker as Australia’s No.1 mattress brand. In fact, according to the Finder Retail Awards, SleepMaker was the highest rated mattress brand for comfort and received great scores for durability and value for money!

As we now know, sleep is important to the success of your new year’s resolutions. SleepMaker has developed a wide range of advanced technologies to create excellent mattresses in Australia to ensure the most comfortable and supportive sleep possible.

Why not take our Sleep Selector Quiz to find the best mattress for you, or check out our list of retailers to find a store close to you.

And make sure you follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more interesting and important sleep tips!

References

Csiro.au. 2021. CSIRO study reveals COVID-19’s impact on weight and emotional wellbeing – CSIRO. [online] Available at: <https://www.csiro.au/en/news/news-releases/2020/csiro-study-reveals-covid-19s-impact-on-weight-and-emotional-wellbeing> [Accessed 7 December 2021].

Matters, S., 2018. Sleep Matters. [online] Catalyst. Available at: <https://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/sleep-matters/11017328> [Accessed 9 November 2021].

Betterhealth.vic.gov.au. 2021. Mood and sleep – Better Health Channel. [online] Available at: <https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/HealthyLiving/Mood-and-sleep> [Accessed 21 October 2021].

Krueger, J. M., Frank, M. G., Wisor, J. P., & Roy, S. (2016). Sleep function: Toward elucidating an enigma. Sleep Med Rev., 28, 46–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2015.08.005.

Lloyd, A., 2021. New Year, New Me: Australians reveal their top resolutions for 2021 | finder.com.au. [online] finder.com.au. Available at: <https://www.finder.com.au/new-years-resolutions> [Accessed 7 December 2021].

Vitale, K. C., Owens, R., Hopkins, S. R., & Malhotra, A. (2019). Sleep Hygiene for Optimizing Recovery in Athletes: Review and Recommendations. Int J Sports Medicine, 40(8). https://doi.org/10.1055/a-0905-3103