Do You Know Essentials about Sleep?
Sleep is a natural state of bodily rest. Sleep is required for proper mental and physical activity. Proper or good sleep gives support to a man during its day time activities and routine. Adequate sleep enhances your day time performance. More you have adequate sleep more you are proficient. Hence, one can say that sleep is essential for reconstruction of your physical and mental state.
Need of Sleep
The amount of sleep you need to develop and function properly primarily depends on age like infants and children. They sleep for longer period of time as compare to adults because they need a greater amount of sleep than adults to grow up and function well. While an adult requires an average of 7 to 8 hours of good sleep to perform well during daytime.
Your need of sleep may also depend on:
- • Your genetic make-up
• Your day-time activities like your work out and other physical activities
• Quality of your sleep [1, 2]
How do you know if you are not getting enough amount of sleep you need? Answer is to start by identifying your symptoms of sleep deprivation. Here are some common signs of sleep deprivation:
- • Feeling irritated during day time
• Feeling of drowsiness
• Problem in attentiveness
• Lower productivity or poor performance
• Difficulty in getting up in the morning
• Difficulty in making decision
• Difficulty in driving
• Falling asleep during work or class
• React very slowly
• Have emotional outbursts [2]
If you are not getting adequate amount of sleep that you need, you may feel distracted or tired or may have difficulty in concentrating, but sleep problem is not all about getting sleepy during day time. Sleep disturbances cause more than that like;
- • Insomnia / inability to get high quality sleep / lack of sleep
• Sleep apnea / brief pause in respiration during sleep
• Restless legs syndrome (RLS)
• Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD)
• Narcolepsy / difficulty in falling asleep
• Snoring [3]
Following are some techniques that are useful to get quality sleep. These are very simple techniques but can vary from person to person especially if you have any type of sleep disorder.
- 1. There are some tips that help you to get great quality sleep or better sleep.
2. If you have problem in falling asleep so don’t take nap during day time if take, it should be only for 30 minutes not more than that.
3. Avoid smoking, alcohol consumption and intake of caffeine. Because they enhance your alertness and cause difficulty to fall asleep.
4. Make sure that your bed is ready for you with all necessaries like pillow, darkness, abolition of noise etc.
5. Sleep early at night and also try to awake early in morning.
6. Prevent yourself from late night social activities.
7. Take good meal before sleeping hours like snacks.
8. Avoid thinking of daily routine before sleep.
9. Avoid television watching prior to sleep, be relaxed.
10. Last but not least, don’t take any sleep medicine because they adversely cause physical and mental dependence.
By using these techniques you will sleep well and remain healthy. [4, 5, 7]
Sleep Remedies
Several herbal remedies as well as nutritional supplements are helpful for you during sleep disorders. Herbal remedies are good for health because they work maximum with minimum side effects. These natural herbs are very useful singly or in combination. We are describing only few of them.
- • Chamomile is an herb work best during condition of insomnia. It has sedative activity and provides calming effects. [4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
• Nutrients like 5-hydroxytryptophan enhances your sleep in condition of insomnia because it aids during depression that is the major cause of insomnia. [5, 7, 10]
• Similarly melatonin is a hormone found in body. Supplementation with melatonin helps to maintain sleep and promote good and peaceful sleep. [5, 7, 9, 10, 11]
• Lavender is another easily available herb that shows great effect on duration and maintenance of sleep. [7, 8, 12, 13]
Good sleep or adequate sleep works positively on body in several aspects:
- 1. Adequate sleep enhances learning and memory process and enhances daytime alertness.
2. It helps to commit great idea to memorize new information.
3. Deprivation of sleep sometimes causes lapses of sleep. These lapses during high physical activity like driving may cause great mishaps like road accident etc.
4. Individual can get rid of problems like mood labiality, impatience, irritability and lack of concentration by taking adequate night time sleep.
5. Stress is the major cause of sleep disorder; any type of sleep disturbance may lead to enhance stress which in turn increases risk of hypertension and cardiovascular problems.
6. Sleep deprivation also weekend your immune system and hence make your body more susceptible for disease. [14]
- 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep
2. http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleeping.htm
3. http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_disorders.htm
4. http://helpguide.org/life/sleep_tips.htm#online
5. Stephen Holt, M.D. (2003). Sleep Naturally. Page No. 29, 101, 106, 107, 108. USA: Wellness Publishing.
6. Daniel B.Mowrey, Ph.D. The Scientific Validation of herbal Medicine, Page No. 110. New Canaan, Connecticut: Keats Publishing, Inc.
7. Phyllis A. Balch, CNC & James F. Balch, M.D. (2000). Prescription for Nutritional Healing. (3rd edition) Page No.51, 93, 102, 238, 474 and 475. Penguin Putnam INC. New York: Avery.
8. James A. Duke (1997). The Green Pharmacy, Page No.21, 296, 297 Pennsylvania: Rodale Press Emmaus.
9. Kenneth A. Goldberg, M.D. (2001) The Men’s Health. Longevity Program. Page no. 113, 236. USA: Rodale Inc.
10. Marcia Zimmerman, CN & Jayson Kroner, CSN. (2006). 7-Syndrome Healing. Page No. 55, 252, 253. Chico, California: Nutrition Solution Publications.
11. Mike Fillon. (2003) Real RDAs for Real People, page no. 75. USA: Woodland.
12. Norman Grainger Bisset (Ed.) (1994) Max Wichtl Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals Page No. 293. Stuttgart: Medpharm Scientific Publishers.
13. PJ Pierson and Mary Shipley. (2004) Aromatherapy for Everyone. Page No. 66. Ridgefield, CT: Vital Health Publishing.
14. http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance_of_sleep_and_health.htm
wow!.... fantastic job! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing such an informative article. I like the way you describe the whole thing. I have added this to my favorite and will be reading more on this.
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