Put down your phone and get some sleep

In the last decade or so, the world has become more and more fast-paced with the exponential rise of technology and social media in our society. While this new media platform has allowed us to speed up business, government, medicine, education and more, it has caused our society to revolve around productivity. As a group, we are generally more concerned with how much we can get done and how fast we can get it done than we are with our own health and well-being.

In an effort to keep up with this fast pace, we often neglect one of the most important components of our health - sleep. Whether you are staying up late on your phone looking at emails or social media, or getting up early to get a head start on a work or school project, sleep deprivation can have detrimental health effects.

According to the National Institutes of Health, chronic sleepiness can cause high blood pressure, kidney disease, strokes, depression and more.

Therefore, it is absolutely essential that we resist the societal pressures for speed and results and ensure that we make time to get enough sleep. Even though it might mean putting down your phone or shutting your computer when you know you might miss something, going to bed earlier can have positive health benefits that will last for the rest of your life.

Finally, it is so important that we instill healthy sleep habits into the next generation, so that our society is not chronically sleep deprived.

Ashley Voigt

Glen Ellyn