Importance of Sleep
Political leaders or top businessmen are often heard boasting about how little they sleep. As if there is a competition between them for less sleep. Less sleeping causes many diseases which we will know later on.
There is nothing to brag about with less sleeping. Because lack of sleep has a dramatic effect on our body and brain.
Matthew Walker is a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, teaching at the University of California, Berkeley.
He wrote a book, Why We Sleep. He claims that this book can change your life.
Matthew Walker knows that modern people have a lot to do in a short period of time in their daily busy lives. No time to sleep.
According to him, when we fight with the body, we actually lose. We get sick, get infected with diseases.
Our health and physical strength are one of the best blessings of the Almighty. Health and fitness are some of the important things in life. If we do not rest completely, our body becomes weak. Therefore, one has to study in old age before coming of age and is prone to various diseases, even death. Because our body is like an engine. Just as an engine becomes inoperable if it is running continuously, so it becomes ineffective even if the human body does not get the necessary rest.
We work all day, study, exercise, if we don’t get enough sleep at the right time, then physical and mental fitness will never be right.
Rabindranath Tagore says:
“The work of rest is bound together,
The part of the eye is like the leaf of the eye. ”
Nowadays, young people are far from sleeping at the right time, they think that waking up at night is the ideal lifestyle. Necessarily, and habitually, it is not a healthy lifestyle.
Why is sleep important?
Here’s why getting enough sleep is important:
1. There is a strong link between weight control and weight gain. Various studies have shown that those who sleep less have more BMI indexes than those who sleep more. Less sleeping is associated with weight gain and not weight loss. We have two hormones in our body called Leptin and Ghrelin. Leptin is made from fat cells and its job is to suppress appetite and Ghrelin is made from the stomach, its job is to satisfy hunger. Sleep deprivation increases Ghrelin, which results in increased appetite, overeating, and weight gain, and sleep deprivation increases Leptin, which reduces appetite and weight control. Moreover, the hormone called growth hormones released from the pituitary gland is more during sleep. This hormone helps in muscle growth, which in turn increases metabolism.
The higher the metabolism, the more energy is consumed, and the faster the weight loss. In addition, this hormone preserves calcium, which increases bone density, reduces fat, prevents fat accumulation, helps the organs to function properly, and increases digestion. Another hormone, Cortisol—, also known as the stress hormone, is more secreted when sleep is less, resulting in the body breaking down proteins into glucose, more glucose, which is stored in the body as fat. This hormone reduces metabolism, prevents muscle growth. Adequate sleep is needed to prevent cortisol from growing.
2. People who exercise can’t exercise properly unless they sleep well. Especially for those who do exercises like bodybuilding and weight training, a proverb is very true: – “Rest and Repair”. Adequate sleep and rest are needed to repair the damage to our body’s muscles caused by exercise and to ensure muscle growth. During sleep, the muscle is repaired, because then the growth hormone is released. Adequate sleep produces muscle, even when we sleep, the production of growth hormone produces a protein if you eat protein-rich foods. If you don’t sleep well, you won’t want to exercise properly, so if you don’t sleep well the next day, you may stop exercising.
3. Our body’s immune system also depends on the amount and quality of daily sleep. If the body’s immune system is not right, then various diseases, such as: cold, fever, gastric, heartburn, etc. can overwhelm you.
4. If the quality and amount of sleep are not enough for a long time, various difficult diseases can take root in the body. For example, heart disease can occur, the risk of stroke increases. In addition, lack of sleeping increases the body’s insulin levels, resulting in increased appetite. Sleep deprivation can lower blood pressure, increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, and even increase the risk of cancer in chronic insomnia.
5. Lack of sleep makes the body feel weak. People who do physical work or sports need good sleep because good sleep also provides physical strength. If you do not sleep, you feel tired all day.
6. Lack of sleep reduces digestive energy, digestion problems, metabolism, sugar is stored in the body as fat without digestion.
7. Good sleep increases our work concentration, performance, memory, performance, brain capacity, etc. Studies have shown that the damage that sleep does to our brain is similar to that of alcohol.
8. Sleep should be good to solve any problem, otherwise, your brain will not work properly and you will fall behind. For example: students or those who work and do business, they can not concentrate on work if they do not sleep well. In that case, if you do not sleep well, then you will not be able to work properly all-day. As a result, it affects thinking power, attention, memory, brain function, problem-solving, decision-making ability and time, positivity, etc.
9. When sleep is low and not good, the mood is irritable, work cannot be focused, work quality is not good. A 2002 survey by the National Sleep Foundation found that: 21% of people with sleep problems are unhappy in life, 12% are generally angry, and 50% cannot maintain good relationships with other people, 60% can’t be patient in any work. Because sleep and our mood are controlled by the chemicals of the same brain. So if sleep is good, his physical strength and mind will be fine.
10. Ariana Huffington of the Huffington Post says: Lack of sleep increases stress hormones, which in turn affects our mood. As a result, people become less angry, upset, or depressed. About 90% of those who sleep less suffer from depression. Sleeping disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea can lead to depression. In addition to depression, sleep deprivation can affect the way you interact with others. So good sleep will help you to have a good and healthy mind.
11. If you don’t sleep properly, you will not look lively, your lack of sleep will show in your face. Lack of sleep can make the skin of the face look dirty, acne on the face, ink under the eyes, hair loss problems, etc. So 8 hours of deep sleep at night is called beauty sleep. Because this time of rest heals your whole body, so deep and adequate sleep.
Healthy sleep habits:
‘I wish I fell asleep’, again ‘I spent a few days without sleeping’, or ‘I have to take regular sleeping pills because I can’t sleep’, ‘I wake up many nights, so it is too late to get up the next day’ neither is healthy. It is not right to become dependent on sleeping pills because you are not getting enough sleep. There are some rules for healthy sleep. This is called ‘sleep hygiene’. Adherence to sleep hygiene will lead to normal sleep. Regular daily sleep is helpful in controlling various long term diseases including blood pressure and diabetes. It also increases the quality of work in daily life.
Tips for healthy sleep:
1. Avoid staying awake at night and sleeping during the day. This causes problems with the ‘circadian rhythm’ or body clock, which makes thinking and behavior abnormal. The mood becomes irritable. Remember, the day is for work, the night is for sleep. So no matter how much work there is, it has to be done before nightfall.
2. Try to sleep at a certain time each day and wake up at a certain time; even on holidays.
3. It is better not to take ‘Bhatghum’ (NAP) during that day, but if you have to take it, it is not more than 30 minutes.
4. Do not roll on the bed or sofa during the day, do not develop the habit of reading magazines or books, watching TV, or eating while lying in bed. Use the bed only for sleeping.
5. Adequate walking or swimming or cycling during the day. You can also do aerobic exercise. However, it is better not to exercise too much before going to bed at night.
6. Avoid drinking tea and coffee after sunset. Eat less heavy non-digestible food at night. Don’t go to bed after eating, take at least two hours to break between dinner and going to bed.
7. Stop using mobile phones, TV, computer, or laptop at least 2 hours before going to bed.
8. The bedroom environment should be conducive to sleep, the bed should be comfortable. Avoid excessive light or pitch dark, both. Make sure the room is not too cold or too hot. If you do not use AC, provide adequate ventilation. Do not use too high or stiff pillows.
9. After the evening, if you take a bath in warm water, you will sleep better. However, do not take a bath at night.
10. Do not look at the clock repeatedly because sleep is not coming. Instead, get up and read a book or listen to a song.
11. In case ‘sleep is not coming’ — Never take sleeping pills without a doctor’s advice. Never take more than the amount of medicine your doctor tells you to take. Depression, anxiety, and other reasons can cause sleep problems. Consult a specialist if sleep problems are long-term.
How much sleep does a person need for good health?
The shortest answer is 7 to 9 hours.
If your sleep is less than 7 hours, you can measure the effect it has on your brain and body. Your body’s immune system and your consciousness tend to decline. If you stay awake for 20 hours straight, your condition will be the same as it is when you are drunk with excess alcohol. The problem with insomnia or lack of sleep is that we don’t really understand how harmful it is to you.
What a situation like a drunk driver sitting in a bar. He may have taken their car keys and said, “I’m fine.” But you know, his condition is not good, he should not drive in this condition.
We are sleeping much less now and our REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is also getting less. If you look at the data from industrialized countries, you can see a clear trend: our sleep has been steadily declining over the last hundred years. When we reduce our sleep, our chances of REM or deep sleep also decrease. But at this stage of sleep, we dream.
Why is REM sleep important? If the REM is low, it is harmful to us. Because it is very important for creativity and mental health. In other words, REM is a kind of emotional first aid for us. Every night that we get. Studies have shown that an adult needs at least 8 hours of sleep a night. National Sleep Foundation recommends 8-9 hours of sleep a day for an adult.
There are many reasons why we sleep less than before:
1. Lack of knowledge:
Although scientists now know a great deal about sleep, they have failed to reach the general public. Most people have no idea how important sleep is. So they don’t want to worry about sleeping long enough.
2. Busy life:
In general, we have been working for a long time now, and we have been on the road for a long time to go to work. We leave home much earlier to go to work and return home much later in the evening after work. We don’t want to exclude our social and family life either. So giving time to family members, hanging out with friends, watching television. All these things are behind but the whole day goes by. And when it comes to spending time on so many things, we divide the sleep time.
3. Our beliefs and attitudes:
There is also a crisis of an image of sleep. If you tell someone that you sleep 9 hours a day, they will look at you in amazement and say, really! This thought may come to their mind immediately, the man is so lazy! So more sleep is now seen with bad eyes. People now brag about how little they sleep. But that was not always the case.
When a child sleeps, no one will say that the child is lazy. Because we know how important sleep is for a baby and the importance of sleep in child development. But if you compare your adult life with childhood, you will understand that there is a big difference somewhere. From childhood to adulthood, we abandon the idea that sleep is important. Rather, we curse those who sleep more.
4. Our environment:
We now live in a civilization deprived of darkness. But it is dark but we need it. So that our body secretes a hormone called ‘melatonin’. It is very important for us to have good and healthy sleep.
Unfortunately, the big sacrifice of our development and modernity is darkness. We are now immersed in electric light all the time. And when we see something on the LED screen, it’s even worse. Because the LED screen is rich in the blue color of the visible spectrum, it is a very strong light that stops the secretion of the hormone melatonin.
5. Temperature:
Another big unexpected side effect of modern civilization is that we have isolated ourselves from the hot-cold natural rhythm. We want warm houses now. But the need for sleep is actually a cool room.
Our brain and body temperature should be reduced by at least one degree for better sleep. When we go back home in a cold country, we keep the room temperature much higher. But if you want a good sleep, then at night the room temperature should be set at 18 degrees Celsius.
Tips to fall asleep fast:
1. Adhere to the time – Do not go to sleep at the same time one day. Choose a specific time to sleep at night.
2. Away from the screen – If you have a habit of watching TV, listening to music on earphones, mobile or computer before going to sleep, then it is recommended to change these habits. Don’t even talk on the phone. Stay away from these for at least two hours before going to bed.
3. Dark house – Turn off the light and go to bed. If you don’t have a habit, sleep with very little watt light.
4. Take a bath – If you don’t feel cold, take a bath and go to bed. If you want, you can mix a few drops of Odicolon in the bath bucket. If you feel fresh, you will get a good night’s sleep.
5. Light dress and meditation – Before going to bed, wear a light-colored thin cotton dress. If the dress is comfortable, sleep will come soon. You can meditate 15 minutes before bed. Will work great.
6. Keep the house cool – It is better to have AC. If not, keep the bedroom doors and windows open. If the air in the house is cool, the house will be cool and sleep will be better.
7. Light meals – Put light meals on the dinner menu. Eating oily, spicy food can cause discomfort in the body. Feeling uncomfortable is the cause of sleep deprivation.
8. Two hours before the meal – at least one and a half to two hours before going to bed to finish dinner. Do the chores around the house for two hours in the middle.
9. Walk or do chores at home – you can walk for a while after dinner. If it is not possible to do it on the roof or on the street at night, do chores at home. It will be a little light exercise.
10. One glass of milk – If you do not have the problem of acidity before going to bed, drink a glass of cold milk. Will fall asleep.
The sleep you lost will never be regained. But there is still time to change lifestyles. There is a misconception among many that sleep deprivation can be compensated later. In fact, it can never be done. Sleep is not like a bank, which you will repay later by taking a loan. But most people think so. They realize that they will make up for it on the weekends by sleeping less all week. This is called social jet-lag or slips bulimia.
Why can’t we keep sleep? If I could, wouldn’t that be a great thing? Imagine for a second you were transposed into the karmic driven world of Earl. Later you are using it as needed.
In biology, however, there are examples of such things. This is called fat cells.
This life-saving ‘adipose cell’ has been created in our body through evolution. So that when there is no shortage of food, we eat more and store energy in the body. When there is a shortage of food, we can survive by consuming that energy. Why can’t we create similar systems in our brains? Because we are the only species in the whole world who deliberately deprive themselves of sleep.
This has never happened before in nature. So nature did not even try to find a solution. That is why a sleepless night has such a bad effect on the body and mind. If you want to be a long-lived and healthy person, then your lifestyle and work level has a lot of impacts. So getting enough and good sleep is the secret to staying healthy and living a long life.
So look at your daily diet, exercise, your other care as well as your sleep. Those who are not paying any attention to sleep, sleep well, and see how much fun it is to do everything, how it feels to be clean.
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