Primetime Living 2.22.26 - Flipbook - Page 10
10 A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Sunday, February 22, 2026
HEALTH
The Importance
of Sleep
Getting a good night’s rest
can make your day brighter
By Margit B. Weisgal, Contributing Writer
A
fter researching sleep at some of the top medical institutions in the country, I’ve
learned two very important truisms about sleep from Dr. Virend Somers, M.D.,
Ph.D. He is a cardiologist and directs the Cardiovascular Facility and the Sleep
Facility within Mayo Clinic’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science. He says:
“A good laugh and
a long sleep are the
two best cures
for anything”
— Shawn Stevenson,
Bestselling Author,
Entrepreneur,
Health Podcaster,
Health & Fitness Expert
1. Sleep is very much a multidisciplinary specialty for good reason
because sleep affects all the organs
of the body.
2. A bedroom is for sleep and sex. It’s
not for doing spreadsheets, watching TV or texting.
Our sleep patterns usually occur
because of our circadian rhythms,
according to The Sleep Foundation.
What are they and how do they work?
1. Circadian rhythms are 24-hour
cycles that help govern essential
bodily functions – especially the
sleep-wake cycle – by syncing internal processes with the day–night
cycle.
2. Disruptions from factors like irregular schedules, travel, shift work,
screen time, or underlying health
issues can throw off your internal
clock and negatively impact sleep
and overall well-being.
3. Maintaining a consistent sleep
schedule and daily routine, along
with strategies like timed light exposure and melatonin supplementation when needed, are the most
effective ways to support a healthy
circadian rhythm.
Melatonin, “a hormone in your body
that plays a role in sleep,” according
to the Mayo Clinic, is produced and
released in the brain, increasing when
it’s dark and decreasing when it’s light.
Melatonin production declines with age.
This is why older adults tend to have
irregular sleep patterns.
Harvard Health recommends improving our “sleep hygiene, practices and
routines that help us get better sleep.
Adequate, good quality sleep allows
your body to experience the physical
maintenance and repair, immune system boost, and emotional and cognitive
renewal that sleep provides.” Therefore,
it’s up to us to set up routines that
improve our sleep.
We do that by following these recommendations:
• Make our sleep space as conducive
to sleep as possible.
• Maintain a consistent sleep schedule.
• Follow a routine so our bodies know
it is time to sleep.
• Modifying our routine so it works
for us.
Practices and Routines Contribute
to a Good Night’s Sleep
“What you do during the day affects
how well you sleep at night, notes Johns
Hopkins sleep expert Rachel Salas,
M.D. Taking these small steps can help
you wake up feeling refreshed the next
morning.
Morning
• Eat breakfast by a window. The sun
helps your body reset your circadian
rhythm.
• Wake up at the same time every day
(yes, that includes weekends).
• Make your bed. This is also the
title of a book by Admiral William
H. McRaven: Make Your Bed: Little
Things That Change Your Life...And
Maybe the World, published in 2017
and based on his famous U.S. Naval
