“Get more sleep and you’ll feel better”, “Get more sleep and you’ll have more energy”, “Get more sleep and you’ll live longer”, “Get more sleep and you’ll be healthier”, and so on.

How many of these sleep-related promises have you heard before? My guess is quite a few. Sleep is one of those things that a lot of us know is good for us and that we should do more. But what you may not know is how important it actually is, and why most of us need more (or better) sleep.

A 2015 Gallup poll of more than 7,000 adults found that those who got more sleep reported a higher overall well being than their less-rested counterparts.

People who don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis tend to have more negative thoughts and a harder time adapting to life stressors. They tend to be more irritable and more easily pushed to anger, as well as more likely to worry and experience intrusive thoughts.

Comparatively, people who get more sleep, on average, are calmer, more relaxed, and more optimistic about life as a whole. People who get enough sleep usually have better overall health as well. Poor sleep negatively impacts the immune system and can make you more susceptible to illness and disease. Adequate sleep also improves overall resiliency to viruses; studies have shown that when exposed to the same virus, those who have better sleep habits are less likely to become infected with that virus than those who do not sleep enough (four times less likely, that is!). Adequate sleep allows your body time to heal and repair itself, to regulate blood sugar and immune health, to form long-term memories and to make good decisions during the time you are awake. The list of sleep benefits goes on and on as there is virtually nothing that adequate sleep can’t help with in some way.

So how much is “enough”?

Many studies surrounding sleep define “enough sleep” as over 7 hours per night, and “not enough sleep” as less than 5 hours per night. That being said, many factors affect how much sleep your body needs. Factors such as age, activity level, and gender, to name a few. For example, females and young kids typically require more sleep than men or older kids. Furthermore, females may require more sleep at different times of the menstrual cycle and when pregnant.

How do I know if I am getting enough sleep?

Not surprisingly, a huge determinant of sleeping enough is if you feel rested upon waking in the morning. If it is very hard to get out of bed in the morning because you always feel so tired, that is a sign your body may be begging for more sleep. Energy level, mood, and appetite are also indicators of sleep quality. If your energy level is always low, your mood is always poor, and you’re constantly craving sugary foods, those are also signs you may need more sleep.

Tips for improving sleep quality: First and foremost, if you don’t give yourself enough time, you can’t possibly get enough sleep. So, starting the bedtime routine early enough is extremely important. Speaking of routines, having a solid bedtime routine can play a huge role in how your body “shuts down” at the end of the day. Your bedtime routine can include things like taking a bath, drinking hot tea, reading a book, turning the lights down, putting your phone down, a few minutes of stretching, or putting on comfortable pajamas. In other words, falling asleep scrolling social media on the chair in the living room will hardly lend itself to better sleep quality.

Another tip for falling asleep peacefully for those who tend to have a lot of thoughts as soon as their head hits the pillow: brain dump before you lay down. “Brain dumping” is a journaling technique in which you write down any and everything that comes to your mind- no format, no worry of grammar or spelling. This could include things you have to do tomorrow, things that happened during the day that you want to release, or anything in between.

At the end of the day, is adequate sleep going to fix all of your “problems”? That remains to be seenbut getting enough sleep is a great place to start (and then at least you’ll be rested enough to deal with those problems!)