Informative outline

So, let’s take a look at what you can change to affect the exhaustion you feel.

Body

I. First, some of the simplest choices you make before going to bed can either greatly help you or harm you.

A. The lifestyle you maintain will be one of the factors contributing to the quality of your sleep.

1. David G. Danskin, was a counselor at Kansas State University with a Ph.D. in psychology. His 1989 article “How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep” was edited in 1997 by Dorinda Lambert and is featured on Kansas State University’s website. He stressed the importance of daily, daytime exercise for his students to get meaningful sleep. Exercise helps to greater differentiate the body’s rest pattern from its waking one.

2. Danskin also wrote about dietary choices affecting the body’s sleep. You shouldn’t consume caffeine later in the day and cutting down on alcohol will contribute to a more restful sleep. In addition, the body’s rate of digestion places that a person’s last meal of the day should be at least four hours before going to bed.

B. You can take physical and psychological actions in your bedroom to promote a proper sleeping environment.

1. Sarah Klein, a senior editor for the Huffington Post and certified personal trainer, wrote in her 2014 article titled “37 Science-Backed Tips for Better Sleep Tonight” that the bedroom should be cool, quiet, and dark. Which doesn’t like the most pleasant image until you break it down. A room where you’re piling on the blankets or sweating constantly is not conducive for sleep, simple. Likewise, constant noise or flashing lights don’t help either.

2. Sometimes, we psych ourselves out from getting enough rest. Klein further suggests that you should have a bedroom color that is relaxing to you. Don’t go to bed with a thousand thoughts on your mind. Write them down.

Now that we’ve discussed some of the things you can do to achieve a better-quality rest, the remaining question is how much sleep you should get.

A. Studies show us that our sleep patterns change greatly over the course of our lives.

1. The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School’s 2007 article on “Changes in Sleep with Age” on their website Healthy Sleep states that as we age, our sleep cycles change. The periods we spend in Rapid-Eye-Movement (or REM) sleep become altered with the time we spend in Non-REM sleep.

2. The Division of Sleep Medicine has also found that our Circadian pacemakers change. This affects the timing of when our bodies tell us that we’re tired. It’s why teenagers are typically night owls and seniors are early risers.

B. With these factors, it becomes understandable why many of us require different amounts of sleep from one another.

1. In 2017, the National Sleep Foundation published an article titled “How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?” on their website. They recommend that young adults between ages eighteen to twenty-five get seven to nine hours of sleep. Six to eleven hours might be appropriate for some individuals.

2. The Foundation recommends that adults ages twenty-six to sixty-four get the same amount of sleep. However, the range they consider might be appropriate only goes up to ten hours of sleep.

I’d like to wind things down here, like you should at the end of every evening.

Conclusion

So, when you’re looking to achieve a higher-quality rest, try changing your pre-bedtime habits and find the amount of sleep your body requires. The next time the alarm clock forces you to abandon sleep, I hope you’ll feel well-rested. I’m happy that what I’ve learned from this speech has helped me get better sleep and I hope it helps you do the same.

Works Cited

“Changes in Sleep with Age.” Healthy Sleep, The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, 18 Dec. 2007, healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science/variations/changes-in-sleep-with-age.

Danskin, David G, and Dorinda Lambert. “How to Get a Good Night's Sleep.” Kansas State University, Kansas State University, 1989, www.k-state.edu/counseling/topics/life/sleep.html.

“How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?” National Sleep Foundation, National Sleep Foundation, 2017, sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need.