Wow!  School is back in session and it is hard to believe the relaxing days of summer have come to a close. Now on to school days along with sports activities, homework, weekly church activities and other events that make the days go by faster.  Unfortunately with all of these activities one aspect of our health can go over looked and that is getting a healthy amount of sleep at night. This is important for school age kids and for adults as well.

Even more reason that sufficient sleep is important for your well-being:  Getting 5 or fewer hours of shut-eye per night for a month increased the odds of catching a cold by 28 percent in a recent University of California San Francisco study of almost 23,000 American adults. Skimping on sleep was also associated with an up to 80 percent higher risk of ear infection, the flu, or pneumonia. Previous research suggests that the immune system’s so-called killer T cells, which attack viruses and bacteria, may function poorly when we’re not well rested.

Children between the ages of 10 and 16 who have sleep disordered breathing, which includes snoring, sleep apnea, and other types of interrupted breathing during sleep, are more likely to have problems with attention and learning, according to a 2010 study in the journal Sleep. This could lead to “significant functional impairment at school,” the study authors wrote.
In another study, college students who didn’t get enough sleep had worse grades than those who did.

Sure more sleep makes you feel better, but its importance goes way beyond just boosting your mood or banishing under eye circles. Adequate sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle and can benefit your heart, weight, mind and help with preventing infections.

And remember if you have questions about sleep and its benefits remember to contact your healthcare provider.