Sleeping is an essential part of our life and takes up about one-third of our daily activities. Spending time on sleeping may seem to be an unfulfilling way to pass time, but it is undoubtedly necessary to keep us going. Sleeping performs the function of replenishing and maintaining our body energy, similar to battery recharging. In addition, it repairs our bodies and minds, and keeps us refreshed for the following day. On top of these, sleeping also helps our immune system to fight infection and bacterial attack. As such, it is not wise to sacrifice sleep for work or play.
Of course sleeping does bring us other more tangible benefits. For instance, a person who gets adequate sleep is less prone to gain weight, grows less pimples, lives longer and healthier, stays youthful and cheerful, etc. That’s why people call it the ‘beauty sleep’.
Sleeping is not necessarily ‘the more the better’. Sometimes the more you sleep, the more lethargic you will get. When it’s time to be awake, wake up! Forcing yourself into sleep (even though you don’t wish to wake up early on weekend mornings), does no good at all. On average, an adult should get 7 – 8 hours of sleep, a teenager 9 hours, and an infant 16 hours. With the ideal sleep hours, no more no less, you’re on the way to leading a healthy lifestyle.
Every night, we undergo 90 to 110-minute cycles of sleep stages, ranging from light to deep sleep. However, only deep sleep can be considered ‘beauty sleep’ as the brain activity shuts down during the period, allowing it to rest properly. Having mainly light sleep would still leave us tired even after waking up the next morning.
If you feel drowsy during the day, or fall asleep within 5 minutes of lying down, you probably suffer from sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation impairs our concentration, judgment and reaction time, which in turn might result in more dire consequences, especially for a motorist. For extended periods, sleep deprivation can put our health in danger. Not only our internal bodily functions, our outer appearance will take the toll too.
Napping during break time can be an effective way to prevent dozing off later in the day. If rested properly, even a short 10-15 minutes of nap could keep you refreshed for the next few hours. There are certain companies that encourage their workers to take a short nap during the lunch break so as to ensure continued concentration and efficiency in the afternoon. You have probably seen construction workers taking naps during lunchtime. They cannot afford to have fatigue in their field of work.
So how do we sleep well? Here are some pointers:
(from http://www.pioneerthinking.com/ej_sleep.html)
1. Keep a set sleep schedule. Go to bed each night at the same time and get up at the same time. It's tempting to sleep in on the weekends, but what you end up doing is re-setting your sleep schedule, making it difficult to get up the rest of the week.
The weekend laze is the main reason why many find it difficult to get themselves out of bed on Monday mornings. If you make the effort to maintain the same sleep times for all days of the week, you will find yourself getting up with ease on Mondays.
2. Exercise helps you fall asleep and can improve the quality of your sleep. Exercise daily and be sure to exercise 5 or 6 hours before going to bed
A gap of 5 – 6 hours between exercise and sleep is ideal, as any less will make your mind too awake to sleep, and any more will make you doze off earlier than expected. From this aspect, an evening jog is more beneficial than a morning one.
3. Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. We are all aware that caffeine is a stimulant, but nicotine and alcohol intake keeps you in the lighter stages of sleep and deprives you of deep sleep and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.
As long as we drink healthily (eg. plain water) this shouldn’t be a problem.
4. Relax before going to bed. Make a relaxing routine such as a warm bath or reading part of your bedtime ritual.
You can’t sleep when you are tense, worried or excited. Additional energy and time will be used to calm yourself into sleep and this kind of sleep is inefficient. If reading can make you fall asleep faster, go ahead.
5. Wake up with the sun. Sunlight helps your body reset your biological clock each day. If you are having trouble falling asleep, due to jet lag or mild insomnia, experts recommend exposing yourself to an hour of morning sunlight or using very bright lights in the morning to help reset your biological clock.
Our body can sense light and darkness. If you happen to doze off with the lights on, chances are you will wake up again shortly after to switch it off.
6. If you can't sleep, get out of bed. Do something else until you feel tired, like reading or watching television. Lying in bed feeling frustrated because you can't fall asleep can actually contribute to insomnia.
The more you toss in bed, the more you can’t fall asleep. Time to stop wasting time and do something else until you are sleepy enough.
7. Be comfortable. Maintain a comfortable temperature in your bedroom. Being too hot or too cold can disrupt your sleep or prevent you from falling asleep.
Ever had the experience of waking up with sweaty shirt or shivering away? Pulling the blanket over your body does disrupt the sleep cycle to a certain extent.
With these pointers, hope you have a good night’s beauty sleep!
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