Sleep_woman
How much sleep a person needs depends largely on age, health and lifestyle, but researchers generally agree that the average adult should get between seven and nine hours of shut-eye a night. Creative Commons

Twitter users on Thursday shared their reasons for losing sleep with the hashtag #ILostSleepBecause. Explanations ranged from cell phone addiction to overeating, and the trend seemed to have started with comedian Bob Phillips, whose #ILostSleepBecause tweets were among the first and may have caught on with his 14,000 followers.

Here’s a sampling of how the Twitter universe responded to Phillips:

Research has shown that the majority of Americans don’t get enough sleep. Insufficient shut-eye has been known to affect memory, concentration and work habits, and has even been linked to such health risks as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and depression. The most common consequence of sleep deprivation reported among adults 20 years or older was decreased concentration, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How much sleep a person needs depends largely on age, health and lifestyle, but researchers generally agree that the average adult should get between seven and nine hours of shut-eye a night, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Children need more, between 10 and 11 hours for kids aged five to 10 and 11 to 13 hours for children three to five.

A good night’s rest can boost mood, lower stress, improve athletic performance and help maintain a healthy weight. Here are five tips for getting a better night’s sleep.

Create a regular sleep schedule and stick to it. Research has proven that going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at a regular hour is one of the best ways to maintain good sleep habits. “Being consistent reinforces your body's sleep-wake cycle and helps promote better sleep at night,” according to Mayo Clinic. Set an alarm even on weekends and holidays, and avoid hitting the snooze button too many times.

Create a bedroom that’s worthy of a good night’s sleep. A bedroom should be cool, quiet and comfortable. Shades that darken the room can work wonders. Earplugs or white noise – a ceiling or floor fan, for instance – can help create a more suitable sleep environment.

Make sure you have enough room to move around on the bed at night. A little nighttime stretching is normal, but running into a pile of dirty laundry piled in a corner of the bed can disrupt that process.

Get regular exercise. A weekly exercise regimen can vastly improve the quality of a person’s sleep. Physical activity has been shown to strengthen circadian rhythms and promote consistent sleep patterns.

Establish a nighttime routine. Whether it’s reading a few chapters in a book or soaking in the tub, pick a nighttime routine to make your own. Doing so can trigger sleepiness as your body learns to associate the habit with shutting down.

Boost melatonin levels in the body. Melatonin is a hormone that aids in controlling sleep and wake cycles. One of the biggest interference to proper melatonin production is light. Even the light from electronic devices like cell phones and iPads is enough to suppress melatonin, research has shown.

At bedtime, turn off the television and shut the computer. Don’t read from a backlit device and make sure the room is dark. You can even get in the habit of using a flashlight to go to the bathroom, helpguide.org recommended.