Why is it important?
To feel good and at our best, to get restored, to be more productive, and for long-term health benefits, quality sleep is necessary in life. The amount of sleep that each individual requires varies, most people, need a minimum of seven to eight hours each night.
Some people feel sleep disorder, insomnia, or difficulty sleeping, just a feature of lifestyle and the human condition and worrying and thinking about things, and all are not the same. Though sleep is natural but over time, it is also a learned behavior. Unfortunately, many people develop problems and stresses in life. Maybe it is good stress but then they start worrying about how they will perform the next day.
You actually can do things to improve your sleep. Caffeine late in the day for some people who are sensitive to it can make it hard to sleep. And if you are engaged in watching a Netflix show or check the news, or doing late-night email checking, etc it keeps you awake, you should change the timing of doing it.
What happens to your body and brain if you don’t get sleep?
Growth hormone is the fundamental vitality hormone of the body. Without growth hormone, you don’t feel as young as you should. The number one way we get growth hormones is through sleep.
Neuroscience and researchers have found that lack of sleep will prevent your brain from being able to make new memories. Without it, memory shuts down and, you can’t commit new experiences to memory. Also, it leads to increased development of a toxic protein in the brain called beta-amyloid and, it is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. And if you are not getting enough sleep every night, it will reflect poor work performance too.
Sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation affects the reproductive system, immune system, cardiovascular system, and it risks developing numerous forms of cancer. The link between lack of sleep and disease is so strong that the WHO decided to classify any form of nighttime shift work as a probable carcinogen. There is no easy answer to how to deal with shift work. While sleeping , your heart rate drops, and blood pressure goes down. If you are not getting that reboot of the system and body, you face problems.
If you pass 16 hours of being awake, you start to see mental and physiological deterioration in the body. We feel tired and sleepy the next day. Thus we need eight hours of sleep to repair the damage of wakefulness.
Sleeping too much
Sleeping is also a health-related behavior. If you are over or under indulge, you can have serious consequences for your health. And some people face oversleeping problems too. Nine or more hours of sleep over the weekend is fine but, on average, if you are sleeping nine hours then, you are oversleeping. There are different reasons for oversleeping – stress and depression, a seasonal affective disorder like the winter period, and overuse of alcohol.
Food for sleep
Here are some food lists that can help you get good sleep:
- Almonds: It contains a lot of vitamins, minerals, and micro-nutrients. When you take these nuts in long term, it indirectly reduces stress hormones. When stress hormones are low in your body, your sleep improves.
- Walnuts: Rich in healthy fats reduces bad cholesterol and improves heart health.
- Cherry: Cherry juice also helps in improving sleep.
- Rice: White rice increases blood level glucose. Eating white rice helps immediately in falling asleep.
- Kiwi: Kiwis are a good source of folate and minerals. Studies suggest that people who eat this food at least an hour before going to bed improve sleep conditions.
Why don’t you sleep well and how can you improve it?
At least, half of the time it’s about sleep hygiene and not understanding how basic things influence us- lights.
For sleeping, avoid over-the-counter sleeping aids because they are linked with long-term health consequences and, they don’t work that well for most people in life. An evening ritual that includes relaxation without technology, using orange lights at the night to reduce ambient noise. You should not use your cell phone within five feet of your head when you fall asleep and, wearing loose clothes while sleeping can be helpful . And if you can’t sleep, don’t try hard and freak out because then, you are in a negative cycle.
To avoid oversleeping, reduce stress, avoid becoming deprived and accruing a large debt. Stay consistent and have a sleeping pattern, reduce blue light exposure before sleeping time. And if you tried maximum things and nothing is working out, talk with the doctor because every individual situation is different than others.
:By-Priya Panwar.
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