This Is How Long You Should Sleep to Avoid Diseases, Says the National Sleep Foundation

What is causing our chronic sleep dysfunction?

Stress

When you get stressed out, a shot of cortisol gets released into your system. It’s also known as the stress hormone and it can significantly affect the quality of your sleep. One way to counter-balance this out is to practice yoga or meditation.

If that seems too alien for you, take a daily walk in nature or spend some relaxing time with a good friend or a pet.

Technology

At night, your body releases melatonin which helps you sleep (among other things). Your brain gets confused when you’re watching TV or on the computer late at night because it thinks it’s still daylight/daytime due to the bright light being emitted from those screens.

The problem with this modern lifestyle behavior is that your brain doesn’t signal the release of melatonin unless it thinks it’s nighttime (time to sleep). The best way to remedy this problem is to impose a “technology curfew” and make sure you don’t use electronics 1-2 hours before bedtime.

Reading and journaling are two great ways to let your mind wind down at night.