5 Reasons You Should Go to Bed Early

‘Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise,’ is a proverb attributed to Benjamin Franklin, and is as true now as it was back in the 18thcentury.

Of course, nowadays we can substitute the word ‘person’ for ‘man’. But it’s good advice for everyone and backed up by science -hitting the sack at a reasonable time has innumerable benefits for our physical and mental wellbeing. If you’re a night owl, consistently staying up into the wee hours of the morning, you may want to consider changing your habits. Even moving your bedtime up just one hour can have an amazing effect on your body, mood, and relationships.

Here are just some of the reasons you should hit the sack sooner.

5. You need your beauty sleep

We all know that the body needs to rest in order to repair itself and we need on average between 6 to 8 hours sleep a night in order to truly feel refreshed and recharged. If you suffer from skin problems may be an early night ritual could do the trick, as the skin in particular shows the telltale signs of sleeplessness –does a dull complexion, bags, and puffy eyes sound familiar?

4. Improved Memory

Nobody can focus when they’re sleep-deprived, and this applies to all ages. Waking up foggy and tired can lead to forgetfulness, irritability, and shortened attention spans. It’s been scientifically proven that a good night’s rest –at least 7 hours of sleep -has a huge positive impact on our learning abilities and memory. Going to bed sooner inevitably leads to getting up at an earlier time, and that extra hour or so can be put to good use like meditating, exercising, or just simply relaxing for a moment with a cup of coffee before the kids wake up! You’ll also be exposed to more sunlight, so it’s a win-win.

3. A Healthy Heart

Adequate and high quality sleep keeps the heart healthy as it lowers blood pressure. One in three Americans suffer from high blood pressure and since this condition increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, then rearranging your sleep habits could prove to be a life-saving move. Heart disease is the world’s biggest killer and in the US it’s said that someone suffers a stroke every 40 minutes, resulting in about 140,000 deaths each year.

2. You’ll be less cranky

Science shows that the deepest sleep occurs between 10 pm and 2 am, and if you hit the sack later than 10pm it could take you longer to fall asleep. The quality of that sleep may also be inferior and you’ll probably wake up feeling groggy, sluggish, and fatigued as a result. So switch off Netflix, unplug your phone, get into your jammies and snuggle under the covers before 10 pm to wake up refreshed and make the most of every day.

1. You’ll be thinner

People who go to bed early end up eating on average 250 calories a day less than those who burn the midnight oil. Studies show late bedtimes lead to later mealtimes and if you sleep and eat later you’re more likely to make poor food choices and gain weight. Those late-night snacks could prove detrimental, throwing off the body’s natural rhythm of sleeping at night and eating during the day. Doing the reverse interferes with our metabolism. Lack of sleep also adversely affects blood sugar and insulin levels that can result in the tendency to overeat. We’ve covered healthy and wise in this list –so where does wealthy come in? Well going to bed early means you’re well-rested, healthier, leaner, better able to concentrate, focus, retain and process information, and you’re feeling and looking good. So it’s no surprise that you’ll probably perform better and be more productive in your chosen profession.

You feel good, you look good, you do good

So, that being said, go to bed already