SAN ANTONIO — Americans spend a full two months out of their year being tired. In tonight's Healthy SA we find out many of us aren't getting enough sleep, or are trying to get enough sleep but going about it the wrong way.
The info comes from a study conducted by Talker Research. The results found a third of adults feel tired daily, even after a full night of sleep. Nutritionist and hollistic medicine expert Janna Johnson told us, "They're not sleeping good because they're on technology too much. All the way from when they wake up to when they go to bed. They're not exercising."
The study found 58 percent of respondents said feeling tired keeps them from enjoying life. The same percentage said tiredness caused them to avoid social situations. About one out of three said being tired led to them skipping events. And one out of every four canceled plans with family or friends because they were too tired. Johnson added, "It has a huge trickle effect with that. And it pours into every aspect of our lives, work, family, you name it."
Diet plays a huge role too. Johnson said, "Too many carbs, too much sugar. And the quantity. And, Our bodies can only digest so much. And when your gut health is out of whack, everything else is."
For many, getting enough sleep and being tired can be a vicious cycle. You wake up tired so you drink coffee to wake up. In the afternoon many hit an energy slump so they have some kind of energy drink or coffee to keep going. And If they have too much caffeine throughout the day they may have a hard time falling asleep and take sleeping pills to help the head hit that pillow. Johnson also said, "And then you wake up, and then you're really groggy when you wake up because you took a sleeping pill. Here we go again. Here's the cycle again. So you got to break the cycle."
Johnson also says if you're having a hard time sleeping, sleep aids are a good option but only temporarily. If the problem persists, see your family doctor.