The Benefits Of Sleeping
Perhaps you have thought on occasions that sleeping is just a waste of your life when you have so much to do and not enough time to do it in. Therefore, what are the benefits of sleeping and why do we need to sleep a third of our lives away?
Scientists tell us that whilst sleeping, our brains get a much-needed opportunity to relax and recharge and this vital period guarantees the route to our physical and mental wellbeing. We are told that adults need anything from six to eight hours sleep a night and small children, babies and teenagers need anything from nine to sixteen hours a day. Many adults though for one reason or another have great difficulty getting regular and sufficient sleep to ensure they stay healthy.
Scientists are finding out more and more about the functions of the brain and discovering why sleep is so beneficial and indeed vital to maintaining good mental and physical health. The importance and benefits of sleeping on our health is born out after studies completed at the University of Pennsylvania reported that tests on around 140,000 adult people found that those who only slept for six hours or less a night could face potent heath risks. It reports that they were 36% more likely to suffer a stroke or heart attack when compared to the people who were able to sleep for the recommended number of hours.
Listed below is an explanation on the various definitions used regarding sleep and why sleeping is such an important restorative process. Plus, some useful tips to help make sure you sleep blissfully.
The Benefits Of Sleeping Tips and Terms
1) Dreaming
Did you know that many of us spend a substantial amount of time dreaming when we sleep, on average, about six years of our lives? In fact, scientists are still unsure as to exactly why we dream and is assumed that dreaming plays an important part in ensuring that our major organs, including the brain, are maintained in peak condition. It is also thought that dreams are the brains way of making sense of all of the day’s actions and memories and then it neatly files them away. This filing is being completed during the sleeping/dreaming process and you will probably have very little or no recollections of your dreams when you wake up and even if you do these memories quickly fade away.
2) Sleep and Growth
Sleep is a time when the body grows and restores itself and this is why it is so important for young people to have sufficient sleep. Research studies report that not having enough sleep can affect normal growth and can also have a negative effect on the immune system, which is vital in protecting us against invading viruses and bacteria. The benefit of sleeping is important to all of us of course but is vital for the normal development of young people both physically and physiologically.
3) Insomnia
Insomnia is the term used when people experience an inability to fall asleep and get a good nights rest. If this happens on a regular basis, it can become a serious problem. In fact, a high percentage of people suffer from insomnia in varying degrees and it is thought, that the main triggers are severe worries and stress. Trying to take your mind off the problem using various distraction methods can work in the short term, reading or watching TV for example but the underlying causes need to be tackled even if this means discussing the problem with your doctor or therapist.
4) What is Melatonin?
Melatonin is a hormone that is stimulated by the sleep-wake cycle and is produced in a gland called the Pineal, which is located above the middle of the brain. It remains inactive during the day but when it becomes dark, it is switched on and starts to produce melatonin. This hormone is then responsible for making us feel drowsy and inducing the need to sleep. Melatonin levels start to decrease as the light of the morning starts to filter through.
5) Money Worries
Are money worries keeping you awake? If so, you are certainly not alone as this is one of the main causes of insomnia. It seems that financial worries keep us awake more than anything else does. In fact, a third of people experience sleepless nights due to their finances being in a mess according to a UK poll and this is probably a direct reflection of the tough economic times we are all going through. Try to make plans to organize your finances as best you can and write down how you will try to achieve this goal. If you cannot cope, then seek the advice of a financial councilor as soon as possible and don’t ignore the problem. Worrying about money and debts can be painful and mentally crippling and it’s important that you seek the help as soon as possible. Just the act of sharing your problem with someone else will take some of the burden off your shoulders. Remember that our worst fears very rarely ever materialize and taking steps to solve the problem is a first step to alleviating it.
6) Napping
Many people get a lot of relief by napping if they feel drowsy during the day. Its long been thought that having a nap in the afternoon was good for you but now research at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania has confirmed this. The studies confirmed that that taking a nap for 45 minutes to an hour helps to lower our blood pressure after a stressful event. Studies have also found that having an afternoon snooze may reduce the risk of heart disease and it’s thought that this is because napping can alleviate the damaging effects that stress can have on the heart.
The benefits of napping were positively proclaimed by many of the great and famous including, Bill Clinton, Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. All of whom are/were great believers in a good nap.
7) Is There a Link Between Obesity and Sleep Apnea?
There is much evidence on the link between obesity and sleep apnea and millions of people in the USA and the UK suffer with this sleep disorder due to being overweight. Sleep apnea is a condition that includes snoring and irregular breathing caused by relaxed compressed airways. Too much accumulated fat around the throat can lead to a collapse that can cut off breathing temporarily and in some cases, it can last for several minutes making these people react by waking up with a jolt. It can however, develop from being an uncomfortable problem into a potentially dangerous condition for some and medical advice is recommended.
Breast Cancer Link
Is there a link between a lack of sleep and breast cancer? Scientists say that regular disruption to sleep can interfere in the production of the hormone melatonin, which they think suppresses the release of another vital hormone oestrogen and is implicated in a percentage of breast cancers cases. It seems that burning the candle at both ends can increase a woman’s chances of suffering from breast cancer and studies completed in Japan show that women who sleep for less than 6 hours a night dramatically increased their risk of developing a breast tumor by more than 60%.
9) Sleep Talking
Many people talk in their sleep and it is thought that this nighttime chatter is caused by emotional and stress problems and also triggers like too much caffeine, watching disturbing images on the TV or movies etc. Sleep talking is not considered to be harmful but if you have a child who regularly talks in their sleep then it may be best to get it checked out.
10) Does Exercise Help You Sleep
We have probably all experienced the bliss of falling asleep after hard physical work but even lighter regular exercise can help significantly in getting to sleep. Studies at Oregon State University found that volunteers who undertook vigorous physical activity for at least two-and-a-half hours a week slept better, reported fewer leg cramps and had experienced increased concentration levels the next day.
11) Yawning
Why do we yawn? It is probably the body’s way of getting more oxygen into the blood, although the exact reason why we yawn remains a mystery. Research suggests that yawning is catching and can be an automatic response when we see others doing it. It doesn’t necessarily mean we are bored with what that person is saying but we still try to stifle them in case they are misunderstood.
12) Beauty Sleep
Is there such a thing as beauty sleep? You only have to look in the mirror after a late night to get the answer to this one. The benefits of sleeping and getting a really good nights sleep certainly keeps the under eye bags at bay and the whites of the eye white instead of red. Skin also looks brighter and clearer and people generally look more attractive. Mirror, Mirror on the wall…. You know the rest.
13 ) Sex is a Sleep Cure!
Better than a sleeping pill any day. It is well known that the act of love making dissolves built up stress and climaxing renders us into a wonderful state of relaxation. This warm comforting after glow is probably one of the best ways of getting off to sleep and staying asleep.
14) Keeping the Right Temperature
It is advisable to try to maintain the temperature in your bedroom at round 18C as this will help promote a good night’s sleep. Our bodies cool down when preparing to sleep and therefore we do not need the bedroom to be as warm as say the living room. You can always pull the duvet up if you feel the chill when you first get into bed.
15) What is REM Sleep?
The term REM means “rapid eye movement” and usually happens after several hours of peaceful sleep when the brain steps up a gear and the deep dreaming phase becomes active. You may have seen someone going through this REM phase of sleep and noticed his or her eyeballs moving around rapidly. You see the same thing in dogs and cats and it makes one wonder what they are dreaming about.
Remember, that it’s a little pointless striving to have a healthy life style, eating a well balanced diet and making sure we take plenty of exercise if we then end up compromising our health because we have ignored all the benefits of sleeping.
