Take a minute to think about your priorities today. If you're like most of us, work and family obligations probably take up a big chunk of your mental to-do list — with healthy eating and exercise (maybe) fighting for a slot or two.
But where does sleep fit in? Is it the one thing that gets the squeeze to make room for everything else?
If your head is shaking an emphatic "yes," you're not alone. According to a new NBC News|SurveyMonkey online survey, a whopping 46 percent of respondents said they're getting too little sleep on a nightly basis — and 26 percent say they're only getting quality sleep three or four nights a week.
And then there's the issue of our cell phones. 74 percent of us bring them into the bedroom — literally dragging the stresses of the day and the worries of the world to bed with us every evening. Add in a snoring spouse and a kid who wakes up frequently in the middle of the night, and you've got rather hairy sleep situation.
How to Get a Better Night's Sleep
Like eating well or moving more, a good night's sleep is crucial to good health. Sleep affects everything from how we learn to our mood to immune system, so it's definitely worth moving sleep up a notch on your to-do list.
Unless you have a medical condition that's preventing you from getting in those zzz's, a lot of common sleep issues can be tackled by building better sleep habits (think of it as sleep training for adults).
That's why we created our 7 Day Sleep BETTER Plan, an expert-led, personalized text messaging program that will help you unlock the secrets to better sleep by giving you the tools to understand your individual sleep patterns. Starting October 15th, for one week, we'll send tips to your mobile phone (via text alerts) to help you improve the quantity and quality of your sleep. These quick, helpful tips will be sent twice a day, at 11 am EST and 7 pm EST.
When you sign up we'll also ask you a short series of questions to help tailor and personalize the sleep tips you receive from us.
How Do I Sign Up for My Sleep Plan?
The text messaging program has ended. Check our social media feeds for the next BETTER plan.
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The NBC News|SurveyMonkey poll was conducted online from September 19 through September 26, 2017 among a national sample of 7,832 adults. Respondents for this non-probability survey were selected from the nearly three million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day. Results have an error estimate of plus or minus 1.6 percentage points. For full results and methodology, click here.
