9 Reasons to Be Thankful for Sleep

What are you thankful for this year? Typically, when we think back on our year, the big milestones come to mind. Like getting married, landing a new job or finally being able to gather with friends and family. Acknowledging these moments and showing gratitude for them is so important. 

While giving thanks for the big events, we often forget to practice gratitude for the smaller, more quotidien things. Each day, we do this amazing thing called sleep. It keeps us well and cared for, improves our productivity and mood and literally restores our mind and body. At Hatch we are obsessed with sleep and helping others realize the potential of a life well rested. We could write an ode to sleep, but we’ll spare you. Here are 9 tangible reasons to be thankful for rest this year. 

Why Sleep is Important

1. Feeling awake and refreshed in the morning
2. Energy to get through your day
3. Better communication ability
4. Emotional resilience
5. Improved memory
6. Better mood and reduced stress
7. Higher immune function
8. Better focus and productivity
9. Easier time achieving health and fitness goals

Truth: dedicating and protecting your time to sleep is self care. As you can see from these incredible effects, sleep is essential to health and wellness.

On the flip side, when someone experiences difficulty with sleep, or isn’t getting enough of it there can be adverse effects to physical and mental health. Inadequate sleep has been linked to increased risk of heart disease and stroke, diabetes, inflammation, and depression. 

The bottom line is sleep matters. It enables us to be well and live our lives for both the small and big moments. And it’s certainly worthy of a few thoughts of gratitude. 

How to practice gratitude for sleep

Whether or not you’re sleeping well, you feel it. Sleep is often at the root of us feeling good, but it’s sometimes difficult to connect a good day back to your good night of sleep. Remember, one bad night shouldn’t discourage you. It takes time and exploration to build a sleep routine that’s right for you. Be easy on yourself.

Here are a few ways to practice mindfulness & gratitude towards sleep:

1. Normalize taking time to sleep. 

Work, stress, obligations–our lives are super busy and it’s easy to sacrifice sleep to these pressures. Also, the portrayal of sleep in the media can make it feel like others are grinding their way to success with less and less sleep. It’s true, sleep needs vary by individual, but most adults need about 7-9 hours of sleep to feel their best. 

Dedicate and protect your time for sleep. Getting adequate, deep rest pays off.

2. Start a journal, and include notes about your sleep. 

Taking time to reflect on your day can help you process emotional highs and lows. Writing your reflections down makes noting trends and habits easier. If you choose to include a note on how your energy level felt in a day, or any practices you used to wind down and wake up, you may be able to notice some trends that affect your sleep. 

Plus, sleep experts say letting go of strong emotions before bed can help ease thoughts that may keep you up or disrupt your sleep. Journaling for the win!

3. Share the gift of better sleep with others. 

According to the CDC, more than a third of American adults are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis. That means you probably know a few people who struggle with their sleep. When you find something that helps, share it with those you care for. Whether it’s a tip, a practice, or smart sleep assistant like Hatch Restore, giving the gift of sleep is thoughtful, supportive and something they’ll use every day.

4. Set resolutions or goals for your sleep.

If making resolutions is your kind of thing, it may help to set some goals for sleep. First, think about a day you felt rested, balanced and satisfied with your sleep. Notice any timing, routines, habits or hobbies you did that might have contributed to you feeling so good. Are there any specific practices you can strive for most nights? 

For example, you may feel best when you: get in bed by 11:00pm, leave your phone outside the bedroom, get at least 8 hours of sleep, or avoid caffeine after 4pm. These goals will be unique to you, but can help set a sleep framework to work towards.

Considering sleep in these ways can help us realize the impact it has on our lives. We’ll be adding sleep to your lists of gratitudes this year.

Your journey to sleep wellness

Being grateful for and actually getting the sleep you need isn’t always easy. That’s why we created Hatch Restore. Our do-it-all smart sleep assistant combines the powerful framework of routine building with sleep expert-approved features to help you unwind, sleep deep and rise rested. 

We even tested Restore in a peer-reviewed clinical trial. Here’s what they found. In just 2 weeks of using Restore:

• 59% of participants showed a decrease in stress levels.
• 50% of participants exercised more than they did before using Restore.
• 24% of participants reported feeling more energized.

Real Restore users are seeing the impact. Take it from these Hatch sleepers:

“It’s changed my life.” - Gabrielle

“I don’t know how I ever slept without it!” - Anya

“In just ten days I believe my sleep quality has improved.” - Jay

Now that’s something to be thankful for. 😊