The importance of "quality sleep" cannot be overemphasised. Friday, 16th of Mar h, 2018, the World would mark this year's world sleep day. This is in itself is a big sign that quality sleep has enormous benefits to human health.
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Let's find out
As we expect the date for this year's celebration of the World Sleep Day, medical professionals have again reiterated the dire need and importance of a good night sleep to physical,
psychological, and emotional well-being. The benefits of quality sleep should never be underestimated; therefore getting proper rest on a regular basis shouldn't just be an idea but essential part of our life.
What is sleep in actuallity?
Sleep is a reversible state of reduced consciousness and activity characterised by a decreased responsiveness to external stimuli and assumption of a typical posture.
This means during sleep, many useful activities take place in our system as the body go on recess.
The function of sleep to body.
A. Memory Booster
Good sleep plays a potential role in memory
boosting and healthy living. Would feel more
alert, energetic, happier and function better.
B. Healthy Lifespan
Every human being and other higher mamals
must sleep at one time or the other within a
given time of 24 hours. Those with adequate
and regular good sleep tend to have higher
lifespan and live longer than those with
inadequate sleep.
C. Improvement in Skill
Good sleep improves problem-solving skills, improves concentration and various aspects of brain functions including body's system.
The ideal time for sleep.
Sleep requirement varies with developmental stages of humans. For instance, new born babies require about 16 to 20 hours per day. It trickles down as development occurs. Age one to five years require 11 to 12 hours, while adolescent needs about 9 hours. Adults require 6 to 9 hours per day averaging at 8 hours to function well.
Two distinct phases of sleep
A cycle of sleep consists of:
- Rapid Eye Movement (REM)
- Non Rapid Eye Movement (NREM)
Every adults begins with NREM which has three stages.
Sleep Hyiene
It's advisable to observe the hygiene which are:
- Go to bed at regular time
- Avoid distractions before going to bed; these
Include eating heavy meal just before going
to bed, and watching TV in bed amongst
others.
The medical effects of inadequate sleep
The following are some major effects:
diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, depression, mental health issues, shorter or low lifespan.
Others are:
Insomnia, narcolepsy and parasomnias (these are common sleep disorders).
Major causes
Some of the major causes are often, but not limited to these: stress, environmental changes, alcoholism, caffeine at bedtime etc. Endeavor to avoid these underlined causes and stay healthy.
Conclusion
In the 21st century in which we are, where the line between work and personal life and other demanding responsibilities is often blurred it's crucially expedient to adhere strictly to the experts advice.
It's been observed (according to experts) that 90 percent of patients with depression complain of sleep quality.
This year. 2018, the theme is Join Sleep World, Preserve Rhythm To Enjoy Life.
Sleep well to be able to maximise your potentials and enjoy life in its fullest as God intended for you.
Best regards
UDU Ben.