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What does “Recharge” for Whole Health mean?

“Recharge” sounds like something you do with your cell phone or other electronic devices. “Recharge” for people is very similar. It refers to sleep, rest, and relaxation, which give you energy. Our bodies need to have enough of these each day, so that we can live well and enjoy life. This handout can help you focus more on this area of self-care, so that you can be at your best.

How can I use sleep, rest, and relaxation to improve my health?

Sleep, rest, and relaxation refresh your body and mind. Your body and mind need enough sleep to work properly. Rest and relaxation can lower stress and give you peace. A good balance between activity and rest improves your health and well-being.

How may I be healthier if I get good sleep?

Good sleep does the following:¹

• Gives your body time to fix itself and heal
• Gives your brain time to grow and learn
• Helps you feel better and perform better
• Affects hormone levels needed by your body and mind

You can learn more about these health benefits from the Integrative Health handout “Hints for Encouraging Healthy Sleep.”

The following are some findings about sleep from research studies:

• Almost 31,000 people were surveyed about their health and sleep.² Those who slept under five hours each night were compared with those who slept seven hours. Those with less sleep were more likely to develop health conditions. These included obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, higher blood fats, strokes, and heart attacks.
• A review of 27 studies looked at sleep in over 70,000 older people.³ People who regularly slept less than 7 hours each night or more than 7-8 hours had a greater chance of dying early from any cause.
• Trouble sleeping can lead to thoughts of suicide.⁴

How much sleep do I really need?

The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours a night for adults age 18-64 and 7-8 hours a night for adults age 65 and over.⁵ Some people need more or less. If the number of hours you sleep is a lot different than recommended, you may have a health issue. It would be good to discuss this with your health care team. If you get much less sleep on purpose, you may be endangering your health and well-being, without knowing it. If so, consider developing a plan to help yourself get more sleep

The amount of sleep needed varies from person to person. This is a good time to use mindfulness awareness. (See the Integrative Health handout “Introduction to Mindful Awareness” if you are not familiar with this term.) Consider focusing on your sleep and how you feel. Ask yourself some questions such as the following to learn if you are getting the amount of good sleep that your body needs:

• How much sleep do you usually get each night?
• How well do you think you sleep? Do you wake up a lot?
• How sleepy are you during the day? Do you feel rested? Does your body feel tired? Is your mind fuzzy?
• How much energy do you have? Do you get things done? Are tasks difficult to do?
• Do you often nod off during the day when you’re doing other things?
• Do you take naps during the day?
• Do you need caffeine to get through the day?
• Do you feel irritable or moody? Could this be due to the amount or quality of sleep you get?

How can I help myself if I’m not getting good sleep?

First, try to figure out why you’re not getting enough good sleep. Sleep problems are common for both active military members and Veterans.^6,7 There are many reasons for not getting enough good sleep. Sometimes the reasons are obvious. Other times it’s harder to figure out. Some reasons might be related to your military service. You may need the help of your health care team or a mental health professional to learn what is causing your sleep problems. Examples are listed below.

• Anxiety, depression, grief, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Pain
• Health conditions such as sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome
• Dreams or nightmares
• Side effects of medications
• Substances such as caffeine, alcohol, or tobacco
• Caregiving responsibilities (such as child care or care for an adult with a disability)
• Working different shifts
• Taking on too much in your work or personal life
• Your work schedule or times required for other responsibilities might interfere with your body’s natural sleep schedule
• Habits, for example, staying up too late to watch TV or read a book.

Next, develop a plan and set goals. Your plan will be unique to you depending on the reasons for your sleep problem. A plan may be as straightforward as setting an alarm clock to remind yourself to go to bed, if you tend to stay up too late. A plan may be more involved if you have PTSD or other issue needing more time to work on. The Integrative Health handout “Change Your Habits to Sleep Better” give many ideas to try. Consider talking with your health care team if you would like help developing a plan and setting goals.

What is a good way to set a goal?

Consider writing a SMART goal. SMART stands for

• Specific: what exactly will you do?
• Measurable: how much and how often will you do it?
• Action-oriented: what action will you take?
• Realistic: is this a goal you can achieve?
• Timed: when will you start and when will you end?

Also, ask yourself the following questions:

• What might get in the way of accomplishing your plan?
• How will you work around that difficulty?

How are rest and relaxation different from sleep?

Rest and relaxation are things you do while you are awake to help refresh yourself.

How may I be healthier if I get enough rest and relaxation?

Taking breaks while you work can help in many ways. These include reducing stress, decreasing burnout, helping you get more done, and improving your ability to focus.⁸ Breaks may also help you prevent injuries, such as those you can develop when using your hands in the same way for a long time.⁸

The following are some findings from research about taking vacations:

• Ninety-six people were studied before, during, and after vacation.⁹ Most (60%) said their health and well-being were better during and after the vacation. Of course, doing something they enjoyed and not having something bad happen made a difference in their answers.
• More than 12,000 men who were at risk for heart disease were asked about taking vacations. Men who did not take a vacation each year were more likely to die from any cause during the nine years they were studied.¹⁰

What are some things I can do to rest and relax?

There are many ways to rest and relax. Choose some that fit your interests and lifestyle. Consider the following:

• Allow yourself time for leisure, creativity, and hobbies or other interests outside of work.
• Pace yourself during daily tasks.
• Practice a breathing exercise. One simple method is called “4-7-8 breathing.”
  • Breathe in for a count of 4.
  • Hold the breath for a count of 7.
  • Let the breath out slowly, for a count of 8.

Do not do this exercise if you think it will trigger breathing problems for you. Do it for only 2-3 breaths. Go back to breathing normally right away if you feel lightheaded at all.

• Meditate, pray, or make a habit of having a mindful, quiet time.
• Practice progressive relaxation. This involves relaxing all of the muscles in your body in order, one group at a time. You can do this by first tensing a muscle and then relaxing it. This helps teach you how muscles feel when they are tense. A second way is to focus on relaxing the muscles without tensing them first.
• Use guided imagery. Guided imagery uses your imagination. You can sit or lie down with your eyes closed and listen to a recording. It usually has soft music and a soothing voice.

You can find more information on breathing, meditation, and progressive relaxation in the “Mind and Emotions” section of the Osher Center for Integrative Health Resource Library.

How can I rest and relax when I spend a lot of my day at work?

Here are a few ways to help you rest and relax while at work.

• Use your vacation time each year to have a break totally away from work.
• Take breaks during your workday.⁸
  • Be clear about your workplace’s break policy, and discuss it with your supervisor, as needed.
  • Build break time into your daily schedule. Try to take a 5-minute break every 30-60 minutes. Take a 15-minute break in the middle of the morning and the afternoon. You can set a clock, watch, smartphone, or computer to remind yourself when it’s break time.
  • Choose how you will spend your break time. You can do nothing, stretch, have a healthy snack, take a moment for mindful awareness, listen to music, or even take a power nap.
  • Go to a different location during breaks to help make a clean break from work.

For more information on taking breaks, refer to the Integrative Health handout “The Health Benefits of Pausing and Taking Breaks.”

How can I help myself if I’m not getting enough rest and relaxation, so I can be my best?

You can follow the same process as outlined for sleep on pages 2 and 3. First, try to understand why you’re not getting enough rest and relaxation. What’s getting in the way of your scheduling this time for yourself? Then develop a plan and set a goal to work towards.

For you to consider:

• How do you usually do with this area of self-care?
• If Recharge is a concern for you, do you have trouble sleeping or resting/relaxing or both?
• What ideas have you tried in the past? Did any of these ideas help?
• Would you like help regarding Recharge from your health care team?
• If so, who will you contact? When will you contact them?

The information in this handout is general. Please work with your health care team to use the information in the best way possible to promote your health and happiness.

For more information:

For more information

ORGANIZATION	TITLE	DESCRIPTION
Osher Center for Integrative Health	Osher Center for Integrative Health Resource Library	A variety of Integrative Whole Health handouts
National Sleep Foundation	National Sleep Foundation	Information and resources for better sleep

What we know about integrative health care has come to us thanks to the efforts, experiences, and collective wisdom of people from many cultures and backgrounds. We wish to acknowledge all the healers, researchers, patients, and peoples who have informed the content of this tool.

Author(s)

This handout was adapted for the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the original by Charlene Luchterhand, MSSW. It is based in part on two documents written by J. Adam Rindfleisch, MPhil, MD: 1) Passport to Whole Health: A Personal Health Planning Reference Manual and 2) Give Me A Break: How Taking Breaks from Work Leads to Whole Health, a tool for clinicians, as well as one document written for Veterans by Taryn Lawler, DO, Hints for Encouraging Healthy Sleep.

Date Created: June 2017

References

1. Lawler T. Hints for encouraging healthy sleep. Whole Health Veteran handout. VA Whole Health Online Library. https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTH/veteran-handouts/docs/HealthySleep_Final508_07-25-2019.pdf
2. Altman NG, Izci-Balserak B, Schopfer E, et al. Sleep duration versus sleep insufficiency as predictors of cardiometabolic health outcomes. Sleep medicine. Dec 2012;13(10):1261-70. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2012.08.005
3. da Silva AA, de Mello RG, Schaan CW, Fuchs FD, Redline S, Fuchs SC. Sleep duration and mortality in the elderly: a systematic review with meta-analysis. BMJ Open. Feb 17 2016;6(2):e008119. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008119
4. Chakravorty S, Grandner MA, Mavandadi S, Perlis ML, Sturgis EB, Oslin DW. Suicidal ideation in veterans misusing alcohol: relationships with insomnia symptoms and sleep duration. Addictive behaviors. Feb 2014;39(2):399-405. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2013.09.022
5. Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM, et al. National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep health. 2015;1(1):40-43. doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2014.12.010
6. Breus M. Sleep problems for soldiers and vets. Accessed November 9, 2016, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sleep-newzzz/201311/sleep-problems-soldiers-and-vets
7. Bramoweth AD, Germain A. Deployment-related insomnia in military personnel and veterans. Current psychiatry reports. Oct 2013;15(10):401. doi:10.1007/s11920-013-0401-4
8. Rindfleisch A. Taking Breaks: When to Start Moving, and When to Stop. Osher Center for Integrative Health at UW-Madison. Updated 2017. Accessed June 30, 2025. https://www.fammed.wisc.edu/files/webfm-uploads/documents/outreach/im/tool-taking-breaks.pdf
9. de Bloom J, Geurts SA, Sonnentag S, Taris T, de Weerth C, Kompier MA. How does a vacation from work affect employee health and well-being? Psychol Health. 2011;26(12):1606-1622.
10. Gump BB, Matthews KA. Are vacations good for your health? The 9-year mortality experience after the multiple risk factor intervention trial. Psychosomatic medicine. 2000;62(5):608-612.