Changing My Health Behaviors: Sleeping And Drinking

Physical wellness doesn’t just include our body’s overall condition and the absence of disease; it includes our fitness level, and our ability to care for ourselves as well. The two health behaviors that I decided to change were sleeping an adequate amount of time daily and drinking more water both of which are part of the physical dimension of wellness.

Since summer has ended and classes have started, I haven’t been getting enough sleep. I’d wake up and sleep at different times each day without keeping track of how much I’m actually sleeping. The results were just me being more tired the next day. On the other hand, I always forget to drink water. I would only drink when I’m thirsty and that left my body dehydrated. I decided to start drinking more water and at least drinking the amount an average person must drink Good sleep is a critical pillar of good health. Getting enough sleep isn’t just good for you physically. Adequate sleep improves mood, fosters feelings of competence and self-worth, enhances mental functioning, and supports emotional functioning. Since the semester has started, I have got only about 6-7 hours of sleep each day making me feel exhausted for the rest of the day. For that reason, I decided to start getting at least 8 hours of sleep a day. To keep track of the results, I monitored my sleep using an app on my phone. The app would remind me when I had to be in bed and when to wake up to get exactly 8 hours of sleep. Since my classes start and end at different times every day, I would sleep and wake up at different times daily as well. The app made it easier for me to keep track of sleeping 8 hours daily, even though I wasn’t always going to bed at the same time. The app stated that I have slept an average of 8 hours and 17 minutes this week.

A recent study, published on January 26, 2018, stated that the distribution of sleep duration was 5. 9% for ≤4 hours, 6. 0% for 5 hours, 11. 0% for 6 hours, 20. 0% for 7 hours, 29. 9% for 8 hours, 17. 2% for 9 hours, and 10. 0% for ≥10 hours. The prevalence of short sleep duration in this combined sample was higher among female students (59. 6%) than among male students (56. 0%). The study also said that children and adolescents who do not get the recommended amount of sleep for their age are at increased risk for chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and poor mental health, as well as injuries, attention and behavioral problems, and poor academic performance. In addition, short sleep duration has been found to be associated with engaging in health- and injury-related risk behaviors among high school students. Water is second to oxygen as being essential for life. We can survive few days or weeks without food, but we can only go about four days without water.

As a second behavioral change, I decided to start drinking at least 8 cups of water a day (64 oz). I measured how much water I’ll be drinking, using a bottle that is 24 oz and planned to drink 3 of it each day. With the use of reminders on my phone, I was notified each hour to drink water. Throughout the day, I would have finished 3 bottles of water, which are about 64 oz, the amount of water an average person must drink. As I started drinking more water, I felt refreshed, more energetic, less hungry, happier and more positive. Sometimes, I felt that the headaches I used to get due to not getting an adequate amount of sleep decreased when I was more dehydrated. In fact, a study in 2010 said that water deprivation and dehydration can lead to the development of headaches. In those with water deprivation-induced headache, ingestion of water provided relief from headache in most individuals within 30 minutes to 3 hours. It also stated that water intake did not affect the number of headache episodes, but was modestly associated with reduction in headache intensity and reduced duration of headache.

I chose my behavioral change from the physical dimension of wellness because I felt that this was something I had to approach now before we get more into the semester. Being sleep deprived and dehydrated have negative impacts on our physical and mental health. A good night's sleep can enhance our memory, problem-solving skills, and help maintain a healthy weight. Sleep helps our immune system stay strong, and the less we sleep the harder it is to fight common infections. Water is also needed for overall good health. Drinking water regularly can help us lose weight, think better, be in a better mood, prevent disease, and more.