Get Enough Sleep
Not getting enough sleep can increase your risk of developing diabetes and complications from diabetes.
Why is sleep so important?
Getting enough sleep
- Helps your body fight infections
- Improves your memory and learning
- Decreases your risk for diabetes and heart disease
- Helps you control your hunger
- Decreases your risk for obesity
Not getting enough sleep
- Decreases your metabolism
- Affects hormones that are in charge of hunger
- Increases weight in both adults and children
How much sleep do you need each day?
Adults (18-64): 7-9 hours
Older adults (65+): 7-8 hours
Children and teens need more sleep than adults.
Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours
Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours
Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
Preschoolers (3-5): 10-13 hours
School age children (6-13): 9-11 hours
Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours
Get a good night’s sleep with these tips:
- Set a schedule of when to go to bed each night.
- Exercise, but no later than 2-3 hours before bedtime.
- Don’t have caffeine late in the day.
- Caffeine after 2 pm may affect that night’s sleep.
- Don’t eat too close to bed time.
- Turn your bedroom into a sleep sanctuary.
- Keep bedroom at a comfortable, cool temperature.
- Have a routine each night to prepare for bed.
- Don’t keep a TV in the bedroom, or at least avoid TV just prior to bed.
- Don’t work in your bedroom.