Sleeping - Health Benefits
Are you often feeling tired and craving rest? Do you lie in bed at night ruminating about a daily experience, or worrying about something? Are your thoughts and emotions keeping you awake at night? Do you tend to stay up late surfing the Internet, watching TV, or posting on social media sites? Do you often feel irritable and emotionally reactive?
If your answers to these questions tend to be Yes, then chances are that something happening within your everyday life is adversely affecting your sleeping patterns. If you don't get enough sleep or your sleeping patterns have become disruptive, then it maybe due to worry, anxiety, fear, illness, alcohol, drugs to excessive daily stress. Sadly, if you fall into these categories, then you might also
experience side effects like poor memory and focus, a weakened immune system, or mood changes.
In addition, the technological society we now live in can also become a silent contributor; as, many people are not aware of the harmful effects of over exposure to the bright lights of television, smart phones, and tablets before bedtime. I found the following quote from Nirmala Raniga to hit the mark.
"In general, because of our busy lifestyles, millions of us do not get enough sleep, a problem that can lead to lack of attention, irritability, digestive issues, poor judgement, and drowsiness during the day".[1]
Quality of Sleep - What is it, and what's the Research stating
Let me first say that the value of quality of sleep should not be under estimated. And, here I am referring to the 'quantity' and 'quality' of your sleep. In short, the words 'quality sleep' generally mean that you typically fall asleep fairly quickly (e.g within 30 minutes or less), and you continue to sleep soundly throughout the night without waking up during the night. But, if you do, you tend to fall back to sleep fairly quickly.
In reality, sleep is a spiritual experience where you return home with your real self - a time when you get in touch with your soul. Fortunately, there have been several high end global studies conducted on this topic - some of which are well worth mentioning. For instance, women's Health Professor JoAnn E. Manson, of the Harvard Medical School in the U.S. comments, that the lack of sleep is more than just a nuisance and further states;
"We now understand that high-quality sleep is absolutely vital to good health, and it's also been recently discovered that sleep is essential for avoiding or reducing risk of cognitive decline."
Interestingly, scientists have identified that people with the dreaded Alzheimer disease have deposits of beta-amyloid (e.g. a harmful protein) that starts to appear in the brain at least 10 years before symptoms begin. However, when your brain is at rest or sleeping, it actually triggers an important brain cleaning function, which in turn acts as a waste clearance system in the body known as the glymphatic system.
In analogy, it's a bit like a washing machine on a rinse cycle, but in this case its a brain rinse cycle, using cerebrospinal fluid (the clear fluid found in the brain and spine) that cleanses or washes away this harmful beta-amyloid protein.
Other studies, such as an article published by a U.K. researcher team stated that even just a few days of sleep deprivation can have a profound effect on your genes. In summary, their findings highlighted, that even after only one week of getting fewer than six hours of sleep a night, the study participants experienced changes in more than 700 genes, including genes that affect metabolism and inflammatory, immune, and stress responses. [3]
Quality of Sleep - Why is it important and How to Achieve it
Beside
the well known fact that quality of Sleep keeps us healthy and
functioning well - It's now becoming evident that its one of the most
effective ways to improve your health. Besides helping your body and
brain repair, restore, and re-energize - it can also help to reduce
stress, enhance your bod's immunity system
and assist in re-balancing your body's hormones.
A good starting point in achieving quality of sleep, is to start striving to keep a regular sleep
schedule (yes, that also means on weekends). Experts recommend that most
adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night, although this average may
vary in some people. However, if your sleeping routine is often less
than 6 hours a night, then your putting yourself at higher risk of
acquiring ill-health.
It's also important to create a restful
environment for yourself (e.g. quality bed and pillows, comfortable and
quiet rooms, no alcohol, avoid large meals, computer activity, or
caffeine 2 hours before you retire, etc).
Other helpful pre-bedtime activities that can help the body relax, may include having a light oil self-massage, taking a relaxing shower or bath, to reading an inspirational book under candlelight whilst listening to some quiet soothing music. Taking these actions can greatly assist you in setting the stage for a restful and sound night's sleep. In closing, let me refer to a quote from Thomas Edison;
"Never go to sleep without a request to your sub-conscious"
References:
1] Raniga, N. *2020} 'Quality of Sleep'. Deepak Chopra. Online article cited at https://www.deepakchopra.com/articles/the-value-of-quality-sleep/. Published March 1, 2018.
2] Harvard Health Publishing. (2020) 'In search of sleep - many women making the transition to menopause have trouble sleeping. Several strategies can help you get the rest you need'. Published June 20, 2020. Harvard Women's Health Watch. Online article cited at https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/in-search-of-sleep.
3] Carla, S. et.al. (2013).'Effects of insufficient sleep on circadian rhythmicity and expression amplitude of the human blood transcriptome'. PNAS. March 19, 2013. Vol. 110, (12) pp.1132-pp.1141.
Images
1. Pexels -Andrea Piarquardo; 2. Pexels - Ketut Subiyanto; 3. Pexels -Tarryn Elliot
