If you’re looking for an excuse to sleep, mark the dates from March 6 to March 13, the National Sleep Foundation’s annual Sleep Awareness Week, a public awareness campaign is required to promote the importance of having enough sleep. A good night’s rest is key for your health, productivity, and safety according to experts. Here are 6 reasons why you should sleep more and what to do if you can’t.
1. NECESSARY FOR MEMORY FUNCTION.
Sleep is essential for your memory. A study found that during sleep, the brain is very active in memory classification, and removing memories that are not significant. Research also imply that sleep helps retaining the memory. Although the underlying mechanisms are still under study, in fact a recent study assumes that new connections, called synapses, form between nerve cells during sleep and help retain the memories. If this isn’t a reason to sleep more I don’t know what it.
2. SLEEP IMPROVES YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM.
Sleep is necessary for good immune function. Our body releases proteins called cytokines during sleep, some types that help combat against body infections and reduce inflammation. It produces less of these productive proteins when they are not at rest, with lower levels of antibodies and cells that fight the infection. This could be the reason you are more likely to get sick when you are tired and why also you’ll stay sick longer. Meanwhile, a recent study confirmed the importance of sleep for the immune system: Researchers found that people who sleep six hours a night or less are four times more likely to get a cold than people who have seven or more eye closing hours. Basically if you sleep more your immune system will stay strong.
3. LACK OF SLEEP MAKES YOU FEEL AND ACT DRUNK.
You might also have noticed sometimes that crazy feeling, or that your judgment is affected after skipping out on sleep. It is because sleep deprivation produces impairments in cognitive or motor performance similar to those that occur after taking a few drinks. Indeed, staying awake for just 17 to 19 hours influences more the performance of a 0.05 blood alcohol level and decreases the reaction time by 50 percent. And staying awake for 24 hours produces deficiencies similar to a BAC of 0.10 percent.
Because lack of sleep decreases your decision-making abilities, it is more difficult to gauge how truly tired you are. Therefore, you continue to do your daily routine. Going to class or work while “tipsy” from lack of sleep is bad enough, but taking the wheel is even worse. When people do not get enough sleep, it is most likely similar to driving drunk. If you only slept a few hours, grab a taxi or a sharing service instead of driving.
4. AFFECTS YOUR EATING CONDITION AND YOUR WEIGHT.
Lack of sleep does not affect only your memory. Your waistline as well. The appetite is linked to sleep. It is found that sleep deprivation, run the risk of getting hungrier. Indeed, your body releases more hormone called ghrelin. Ghreline activates appetite, especially for simple carbohydrates, sugars and fats. These are the food types that are more likely to lead to an increase in body mass index and expose people at risk for obesity.
In the meantime, your body also generates less of an appetite regulating hormone known as leptin when you go without sleep. This phenomenon is clearly illustrated by studies showing that adults who sleep less than five or six hours per night face an increased risk of being overweight. In addition, losing only a few hours of sleep for several consecutive days can make people gain weight almost immediately, especially because they tend to eat more carbs and other fatty foods. Want to slim down? Sleep more.
5. SLEEP CLEANS OUT YOUR BRAIN (IN A GOOD WAY).
Sleep is essential for the clearance of metabolites and toxins that accumulate in the brain during the day. This is primarily done through the glymphatic system, a system that extracts waste products from the brain with cerebrospinal fluid. When you sleep, your brain cells shrink, allowing the accumulation of waste cleans by cerebrospinal fluid.
The glymphatic system only starts while you’re sleeping. If you do not sleep, your brain does not get the cleaning it needs, and the consequences can be disastrous. The researchers found an accumulation of beta-amyloid proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid of sleep deprived mice. Because beta-amyloid correlated with Alzheimer’s disease, scientists say that people who do not get enough sleep are at risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases. However, this has never really been proven in humans, and studies need to be tested.
6. IN SOME CASES, LACK OF SLEEP ASSOCIATES WITH HIGHER CANCER RATES.
Your cells also require sleep. A studies of sleep-deprived shift workers reveal that male workers have higher rates of prostate cancer and female workers have an increased occurrence of breast cancer. Sleep is not only imperative for cellular repair and immune function, it is also necessary to help the body to combat and prohibit the conversion of healthy cells into more cancerous cells.
SO HOW CAN I SLEEP MORE?
Sleep restriction is also related to pre-diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, shorter life expectancy, and so on. Therefore, a good night’s sleep isn’t a luxury but a necessity. However, many people are struggling to get night breaks of seven to eight hours that NSF recommended for people aged 18 to 65 years. Any hour fewer than seven can put people endanger the just mentioned conditions. While a small population of sleepers called “short sleepers” have genetic predispositions that make them need less sleep than the average person.
What should other people like shift workers, students, and people with sleep problems do to reduce the harm from a sleepless night?
The first thing to do is to identify the source of your insomnia. If you have always been able to sleep well seven to eight hours a night, but suddenly you sleep less, much worse, or you feel constantly tired during the day you may have an untreated medical or psychiatric condition. (On the other hand, if you sleep more than usual, it could also be a problem.)
Some of the most common sleep disorders are chronic insomnia, sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome; These can be treated by a health professional. Other people may have the anxiety that keeps them awake or having nightmares. These patients should consult with a sleep therapist, undergoing cognitive-behavioral therapy (a treatment in which patients identify negative patterns of thinking, question them and replace them with other realistic ones) and take medication potentially.
Other people may have a shift work schedule. Some people are able to get enough sleep, even with their fluctuating hours of work. Those who may not will be at risk for a shift-work schedule disorder, which includes extreme sleepiness when you’re awake, irritability or depression, insomnia when you need sleep, and a host of other symptoms.
The way you normally recommend an individual with shift-work schedule improve your sleep by making sure they have much sleep time as possible. Make sure the environment is protected when you’re sleeping – it’s comfortable, it’s not noisy, not too much light. ”
Also refrain from extreme exposure to light while going home from work during the day. Wear sunglasses while returning home, and do not spend much time outdoors. (On the other hand, try to maximize your exposure to light before a shift at night, which will help you stay awake longer.)
If you’re still sleepy, fifteen to twenty siesta minute are your friend. Avoid longer naps as it is likely to wake up during REM sleep or deep sleep and groggier feeling and more confused. The best time to take these naps is from 1 pm and 3 pm, while most of us have a dip in our energy levels not at the end of the day, which could get rid of your sleep schedule.
Caffeine can also help. Just be sure not to drink four to five hours before bed. And if things get really bad, there are several medications that your doctor may recommend to control daytime sleepiness.
The most common logic that people are sleepy, however, is due to behaviorally induced sleep deprivation. This is because they participate in activities and routines that don’t let them sleep sufficiently. It is recommended removing your room electronics; Make sure your rooms are comfortable, quiet and dark; and limit caffeine or alcohol before bedtime. Small things like cutting down long naps, leaving your iPad in the living room, etc. can also make a huge difference. If you still have trouble resting, instead of asking for the drug immediately, try other things like cognitive-behavioral therapy with a sleep therapist. Hypnosis may also help.
It can take some strategic changes in programming, planning and lifestyle to get the right night rest you need. However, the health benefits you get in are worth it. This week, try some of the above sleep tips and see if they make a distinction. Meanwhile, have a good night, sleep more and good luck!
