The most wonderful meditation, when you want your mind to stop thinking so that you take rest, something that breaks the cycle of the daily hustle and bustle of life, is sleep. It is the best bridge between despair and hope and that takes you to the fantastic world of dreams. It is as essential to your life as food and water. You get relief from day-long tiredness during sleep as it is soothing for both mind and body.
Sleep is your temporary stage of rest during which you can
be physically inactive and unaware of your surroundings, many body functions become
slow and you can be in a state of hibernation. During sleep the eyes usually
close, the muscles relax and the response to external stimuli decreases. Without your realization, the growth and
repair of body tissues occur and energy is stored.
How much sleep is required
The requirement of sleep varies for an infant, toddler, teen or adult, but it is important to get good quality sleep at any age. Sleep is
essential to make our body, mind and all the systems of the body feel refreshed
and rejuvenated. Healthy adults need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night,
babies need 12 to 16 hours of sleep, preschoolers need 10 to 13 hours and
school kids 9 to 12 hours of sleep. Though the ideal amount of sleep varies from
person to person, getting more sleep is good for brain and body function but the quality of sleep is also essential. Quality sleep reflects in your persona when
you feel relaxed after a good quality sleep which is without any interruption.
Importance of Sleep
1. Good for
brain function
Sleep is a housekeeping activity for your brain, heart lungs
and your metabolism. Sleep removes the toxins that build up in the brain while you
are awake. One of the main functions of sleep is that it consolidates long-term
memory by strengthening the neural connections between the building blocks of the brain, neurons. sleep expands the brain cells and removes the fluid or toxins
between the brain cells. Lack of sleep mostly affects the ability to multitask
like the most intensive multitasking activity, driving.
2. Keep
emotions under control
A person who gets his daily 7 plus hours of sleep is
comparatively more emotionally stable than a sleep-deprived person. Quality sleep makes one happy, healthy and calm while a sleep-deprived person has all
the negative emotions like anger, frustration, irritability and sadness. All
these emotions are let loose with the slightest provocation. Lack of sleep
affects the mind as well as health and makes the brain respond emotionally. So good
sleep should be induced by following proper sleep habits.
3. Sleep
affects mental health
A person’s sleep pattern and mental health are closely
connected. Sleep problems can lead to changes in mental health such as brain
fog which is a state of confusion or trouble in concentration. Lack of
sleep makes one lazy and it becomes a struggle to retain things in memories.
One with disruptive sleep will feel overwhelmed while performing tasks and
certainly will be less productive. While good sleep will give you a relaxed
mind and a bagful of happiness.
4. Good skin
The best beauty chore to get stunning skin is sleep, as the
most internal and epidermal recovery takes place while we are
sleeping. Poor night's sleep can give you heavy eyelids, swollen eyes, dark
under-eye circles, pale skin and more wrinkles and fine lines. While proper
sleep results in fresh and glowing skin as the blood flow in the skin increases
while we are asleep. Rebuilding of collagen tissues, repair from UV exposure
and wrinkle reduction all happen if 7 to 9 hours of sleep is taken each
night. It is not just about the glow but good health is also reflected in a healthy
mind, body and skin.
5. healthy
weight
Lack of sleep negatively affects hunger levels making a
person eat more while staying awake longer. In this way increase in appetite
make more calorie consumed, which may result in weight gain. A sleepy brain
becomes dull and makes you take bad decisions like skipping physical activity
and indulging in frequent snacking. On the contrary good sleep may help prevent
the extra calorie intake as sleeping early can stop your late-night snacking.
6. Low risk of
lifestyle disease
Lack of sleep can make you sick, your immune system gets
affected and it delays your recovery from diseases. During sleep, your immune
system releases a protein called cytokines which help promote sleep. The number
of cytokines needs to increase during infection or stress and lack of sleep can
reduce the infection-fighting ability. More sleep is always a better option as
it will make you feel better, alert and cheerful. You will be able to reduce
the risk of ill health by getting quality sleep and being more physically
active as a result of it. Good sleep will keep your heart and brain healthy and
avoid lifestyle diseases like hypertension, stress and anxiety.
Healthy sleep tips
1. Make sleep
a priority
Poor sleep habits may lead to depression, memory issues,
heart disease, loss of immunity and weight gain. So, to get your quality sleep
in order, make sleep a priority by setting a proper schedule for it. The sleep schedule should contain proper waking and going to bedtime. Try not to deviate
from it too much even on weekends. Don’t force yourself to sleep, try to calm
yourself by reading a book or writing a journal. You can also take a warm bath
or listen to music.
Take a warm bath and keep your bed reserved only for sleep, don’t use it for working, reading or watching tv. If the bed is reserved exclusively for sleeping, then the body will recognize it and sleep will be easier to come.
2. Minimize
possible disruption
Sleep in a comfortable environment with your room having a comfortable
temperature, calm and dark. Darkness promotes sleep. There is a need to limit your
screen time before going to bed. TV, cellphone or other electronic products
stimulate your brain. The blue light emitting out from your cellphone, tablet
or laptop screen can suppress the production and release of the hormone melatonin
that regulates your sleep and waking period.
3. Declutter your
bedroom
To sleep peacefully you need to feel calm, serene and dull and to avoid your brain getting active at night de-clutter your bedroom, and remove all the unwanted furniture, toys from the bed and electronics from the room. Your bed and bedding should be super comfortable and clean.
4. Monitor
your intake of caffeine
Too much of tea or coffee during the day or even 6 hours
before sleep schedule results in disruptive sleep. It could also lead to nighttime anxiety, inability to fall asleep and frequent disturbances in sleep.
Caffeine present in tea and coffee survives in our system for 4 to 6 hours,
you can try to neutralize it by drinking water or by walking. There are other
side effects of drinking too much caffeine as restlessness, insomnia, fast
heart rate, dehydration and anxiety. Too much caffeine can lead to our body
adapting to it and promoting wakefulness.
5. Warm liquid
intake
Those who face trouble falling asleep should make a habit
of drinking warm liquids like warm milk and chamomile tea. Warm milk is a rich
store of a sleep-promoting constituent, tryptophan an amino acid. Tryptophan-enriched food has been shown to improve sleep. Tryptophan plays a role in producing a hormone called melatonin, which is released in the body in response to darkness, making you feel sleepy. Other high in tryptophan food are
chicken, fish, turkey, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and soybeans
Chamomile tea does not have caffeine that can interfere with
sleep, it is generally taken to cure insomnia because of its calming effects.
It contains a flavonoid that has a mild sedative effect on the brain. It needs to
be taken 45 minutes before going to bed, it is generally safe without any side
effects.
6. Avoid napping
during the day
Try to avoid napping during the day as it will affect your
quality of sleep. Daytime naps are always an important factor regarding poor sleep
at night. But if you are a regular daytime napper and have no problem with
sleep then you can carry on with your schedule. Give yourself exposure to light
during the day and let yourself fall asleep in the dark during the night.
Sleep is as important as diet and exercise. Good sleep can
always keep you happy, so keep an eye on your sleep schedule and sleep quality.
Sleep is the golden chain that binds health and our bodies
together- Thomas Dekker
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