Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds.
-- Dirt Farmer Wisdom

I went to bed early last night, before 11:00 pm. I've actually been doing it for several weeks. For me, that is a big deal. My normal routine used to take me well into the wee hours of the night, followed by an early wake-up to get the kids off to school. But not any longer… and I'm thrilled.

A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine highlighted a newly found relationship between sleep and weight loss - people who sleep less tend to weigh more. Heavier individuals sleep about 1.8 hours a week less than those who are at their target weight. They also discovered that folks who got as few as 20 extra minutes of "Z's" had a lower body mass index (BMI) -the measure of weight as it relates to height- which is considered an indicator of possible future chronic illness.

But that's not all. Researchers at the University of Chicago's sleep lab studied a group of 25-40 year olds who slept less than six and a half hours a night. Their sleep deprivation appeared to "age" their blood sugar control so that it resembled that of a 65 - 70 year old. When they slept longer, their control returned to normal.

How much is enough?
Some experts recommend at least eight hours of sleep. Others believe that about seven and a half hours will do the trick. How much is right for you? If you still feel tired when you wake up in the morning, you probably require additional sleep.

Do you struggle to fall asleep each night? Here are a few tips that work far better than counting sheep or a hot cup of cocoa:

• Exercise early in the day, not within a few hours of bedtime
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine close to bedtime.
• If you can't fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and try a quiet activity such a reading.
• Avoid late night snacking
• Use your bedroom for sleep and sexual activity only.
• Meditate or do gentle stretches prior to bed
• Keep paper and pen near your bed to jot down sudden ideas that come to mind. Once recorded, you can relax -- they won't be forgotten.
• Wake up at the same time each day.

A team of scientists from Taiwan studied the sleep patterns of older individuals, between the ages of 60 and 83, who had difficulty sleeping. They found that those who listened to soothing music for about 45 minutes prior to bedtime experienced physical changes that helped encourage a good night's sleep - lower heart and respiratory rates. The music acted as a healthy and safe sedative.

So how did I turn my desire to get into bed early into a reality? I made it my "Jump Start Pledge" for the week. I host a radio show, Janis' Jump Start to Good Health, on WNN radio, 1470 AM, in South Florida every Sunday from 4-6 pm Eastern.

Each week my listeners, my guests, and I choose a personal Jump Start pledge to work on for the week. I couldn't commit to a lifetime of early bedtimes, but one week sounded reasonable. And it was. At the end of the week, I renewed this pledge and before I knew it, early visits from the Sandman had become a permanent feature of my life. You can do to it too. Sweet dreams!

(Originally published in the eDiets.com Living With Diabetes newsletter.)