Why adequate sleep is important?Adequate sleep, proper exercise & right diet are the pillars of good health. Sleep is a great energizer. We need to sleep long & well enough. Nearly all physiological & behavioral functions in humans occur on a rhythmic manner, which in turn creates dramatic diurnal rhythms in human behavior & performance capabilities.
Benefits of taking adequate sleep: Adequate sleep is necessary for nervous system to work properly. Sleep is a way of recharging the brain. Sleep gives the brain an opportunity to reorganize information, to help find a solution to problem, process newly learned information, organize and archive memories. Sleep helps the brain to get new information to memory through a process known as memory consolidation. In a study on sleep, it is seen that people who have slept after learning a task, did better on tests later on. Cardiovascular system also gets a break i.e. rest during sleep. Various study's found that people with normal or high blood pressure experience a 20 to 30 % drop in their blood pressure levels. During sleep, the body has a chance to replace chemicals and repair muscles, tissues and aging or dead cells. In children and young adults, sound sleep facilitates release of growth hormones. Disadvantages of Improper / Inadequate or too little sleep: Improper sleep may affect emotional health, cognitive functioning and physical health.As human immune system needs sleep to fight against diseases and endure illness. If you are not sleeping adequately you will experience lack of alertness and concentration. This in turn hampers your ability to do things logically. Research suggests that the nerve connections are strengthening during sleep. Lack of sleep causes forgetfulness. Inadequate sleep affects your thyroid and stress hormone levels which in turn affect memory, immune system, heart, and metabolism. Inadequate or too little sleep leads to weight gain. It affects body's process of storing carbohydrates and altering the hormone levels which affect appetite. Sleeping properly will keep you healthy. Too little sleep leaves us drowsy and unable to concentrate the next day. It also leads to impaired memory & physical performance and reduced ability to carry out certain complex things. Inadequate or lack of sleep slows reaction or response time. Inadequate sleep affects senses. Excess sleep deprivation affects mood swings and can result in depression also. How you can get sound sleep? Eat light at night. While going to sleep calm down yourself, listen some good music, forget all thoughts, and worries. |