By Life Quotes, Inc. Staff

While the most frequently heard advice to those looking to get themselves into better physical shape and maintain a healthier lifestyle tends to be to eat less and exercise more, Lisa Hautly writes in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat that sleep may be frequently devalued by otherwise healthy people.

Hautly says “don’t forget that resting and getting enough sleep are as important as eating the right foods and working out.” She also cites information from the National Sleep Foundation as saying that while different people require different amounts of sleep, everyone needs to have a certain amount of what is referred to as “quality sleep.”

The NSF asserts that a significant fraction of the American public doesn’t get sufficient sleep every night. In a poll performed last year, respondents told the Foundation that they were losing sleep over the country’s economic woes.

Regardless of the reason, however, getting enough sleep appears to be critical to staying healthy. Experts say that those with healthier lifestyles are more likely to enjoy lower premiums on their life insurance policies.

This article was originally published by Life Quotes, Inc.