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Life can get stressful. There’s no denying it. But it’s not about what stresses you out. It’s about how you deal with it. To be more specific, it’s about what you do to either lessen that stress or eliminate it completely.

Of course, no matter what kind of advice or how much of it you get, you won’t be able to reduce the stress you feel unless you decide what to do about it. In other words, it’s up to you to decide how to handle stress, but as long as it makes you happy, then go for it.

Whatever you do, though, there are two things that should be constant: 1) regular exercise and 2) sufficient sleep. These two activities alone can help you have a healthier and happier life--and here’s how:

Exercise

Regular exercise promotes better health and mood in a number of ways.

• It prevents depression.

Science has proven that regular exercise leads to considerable improvements in mood. This is due to the fact that when you exercise, your body releases chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins that cause you to have feelings of euphoria (happiness).

• It improves sleep.

Research has also shown that you sleep much better if you exercise on a regular basis. You’ll not only fall asleep faster, you’ll decrease your chances of waking up in the middle of the night.

• It boosts your immune system.

With exercise, you’ll increase blood flow throughout your entire body. This means the components of your immune system that fight off infections, diseases, and other harmful foreign bodies are better circulated. Your immune system has higher chances of getting rid of illnesses like the common cold and flu before they could spread.

• It keeps your mind sharp.

Your brain also benefits from the increased blood flow in your body from regular exercise. When you exercise, you improve cognitive function and memory retention, so you don’t forget things so easily.

• It gives you a better sex life.

Regular exercise enhances your libido, sexual performance, and overall sexual health. Men are less likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction while women gain increased sexual arousal.

Sleep

Sufficient sleep has several physical and mental advantages such as:

• It aids in weight loss.

Along with proper diet, sufficient sleep aids in weight loss. This is because both your sleep and metabolism are controlled by the same parts of the brain. When you are sleepy, you also tend to feel hungrier.

• It makes you more creative.

A good night’s sleep results in better, more organized brain activity the next day, which, in turn, results in an easier time thinking about creative processes like drawing or writing.

• It prevents road accidents.

A study shows that one out of six car accidents are fatigue-related. This is why you should never drive if you’re sleepy. It not only endangers your life, but the life of others. Always get enough sleep before you drive.

• It improves athletic performance.

If you’re an athlete who trains who trains rigorously, complement it with eight to ten hours of sleep every night. You’ll see a vast improvement in your long-term performance.

Creating an excellent sleep environment

For the best possible night of sleep, you need to create a good environment. It’s easy to achieve if you follow these steps.

1. Ensure that your bedroom is clean. An untidy room is not conducive to sleeping.
   
   
2. Set the proper room temperature. While preferences vary from person to person, research suggests that a room temperature of 20°C (70°F) is appropriate for most people.
   
   
3. Try to eliminate all noise (traffic sounds, dogs outside, etc.).
   
   
4. Turn off all the lights, as having even one source of light can prevent sleep.
   
   
5. Keep your electronic devices as far away from your bed as possible. Gadgets such as your cellphone only serve as distractions that keep you from sleeping. If you use your cellphone as an alarm clock, place it at a distance where you can still hear the alarm but not easily reach for the phone.
   
   
6. Always remember to be as in-sync with your natural sleep wake cycle (Circadian Rhythm), which is your body’s system of balancing states of sleepiness and wakefulness.

How long do we need to sleep?

The amount of time required for sleep changes as you age. If you’re in your teenage years (14 to 17), you need around 8 to 10 hours of sleep. Meanwhile, if you’re between the ages of 18 and 64, you should sleep approximately 7 to 9 hours each day. On the other hand, adults older than 65 are required to sleep only an average of 7 to 8 hours per day.

There you have it. The key to happiness and health is the right balance of regular exercise and sufficient sleep, in conjunction with other activities that make you happy such as reading books, watching movies, playing video games, learning instruments, so on and so forth.

Want to learn more about how to get better sleep? Talk to us!