Did you know that sleep makes you happy?
Today (Friday March 19th) is World Sleep Day and tomorrow (Saturday March 20th) is International Day of Happiness, but are the two related?
Sleep plays a vital role in our ability to cope with the world around us and affects our learning, behaviour, ability to regulate our emotions and our interaction with others. If you’re feeling tired, it might be more difficult to feel cheerful, and resilient when going through a difficult period.
It’s important for everyone’s mental health – and the ways that sleep plays a role in our relationships, schools and workplaces, and community will be relevant for us all. The Teen Sleep Hub states that, ‘68% of teenagers don’t get enough sleep on a school night’
The good news is, once you take care of your sleep quota, you will likely feel happier. One of the easiest things you can do to feel better rested – and happy – is to increase your activity, as both have been linked to better physical and mental wellbeing.
Doing what you can, when you can – as little as walking for ten minutes a day counts – can significantly improve your ability to maintain a healthy weight, which in turn helps your body to be fit to fight diseases, including coronavirus.
You can find out more about sleep and why you may feel tired all the time:
Sleep Problems | Every Mind Matters | One You
For inspiration on how to get moving in BwD there are a lot of ideas and resources: Be Active | re:fresh
For more about International Day of Happiness: International Day of Happiness