Are you getting Enough Sleep?

We need to get at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep to be fully rested and energised for the next day. We have heard this for some time now, but how easy is it to make this happen? How often do we get these eight hours of uninterrupted sleep and what effects can occur in our bodies if we don’t. Let’s take a look.

Why Eight Hours of Sleep?

The body goes through many stresses during the day which gets repaired during the hours we sleep at night. Muscle tissues are repaired, and growth hormone is secreted while we sleep. This is especially important for children’s development but for adult tissue re growth as well. The brain also needs repair and time to rest after all of the thoughts and activities of the day. It is thought that REM sleep, which stands for rapid eye movement which occurs during this stage, is the most important stage of sleep. This is when deep sleep and dreams occur. The large muscles of the body are completely relaxed and heart beats are faster than normal.

What Happens when we don’t get Enough Sleep?

Sleep is needed so we can have energy to make it through all the activities of the day. Have you ever noticed when you didn’t make it to be early enough, or had your nights sleep interrupted things seem to take a lot more energy than normal? Its hard to get out of bed, thoughts may be slower, your normal workout seems more demanding and you may crash in the afternoon and have a hard time making it though the day. Getting enough sleep is essential to being as efficient and mentally alert as possible, not getting enough sleep can be dangerous when being alert is very important like on your drive into work. It can also have long term effects on your health as a study conducted at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital showed. Check out the link to find out why quick cat naps here and there may not improve the effects of long term sleep loss.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34844028/ns/health-more_health_news/

How do I get more Sleep or Improve the Quality of my Sleep?

Sometimes we can find it hard to shut off the world and get to bed at a decent time, try having a “bedtime” for electronics and work communications. Shut off the blackberry or i phone at 9:00pm, turn off the TV, video games or whatever distracts you and keep you away from the sleep your body needs. If you are not having peaceful sleeps, look into the type of pillow or bed support you have, try playing soft music while you drift off or reading a book until you fall asleep. Whatever works best for you stick with it to ensure you get the most of the needed eight hours of sleep to ensure you are at your mental and physical best for the next day’s events.

Live Well…Chinweoke