When we think about health and wellness, many of us tend to focus on the physical and nutritional aspects, which includes physical activity and watching what we consume.
However, we tend to forget the fact that our body does its maintenance work when we sleep. In layman terms, it means that our body actually repairs itself while we are in dreamland.
A good night’s worth of sleep can result in numerous benefits, including lower stress levels and better mental and physical performances. In short, you tend to feel better about yourself and life in general after a good sleep! Isn't it great that we can have this at no costs?
Did you know?
On average, adults spend about 11 hours a day staring at some kind of screen, whether that be a computer, phone, tablet, TV or another type of electronic device. For office workers, some of that is unavoidable, but that extra recreational screen time isn’t doing you any favors.
Long workdays plus almost four hours of recreational screen time has long term effects such as lower mental performance, cognitive function, and processing speed. If you repeatedly wake up during the night or feel tired even after sleeping for more than 7 hours, thereʼs a good chance that your sleep quality is poor.
We need at least 7 hours of quality sleep each night.
Benefits of quality sleep:
Help maintain your weight: Studies have shown that people who sleeps five or fewer hours every night were 15% more likely to be obese than those who slept at least 7 hours a night. Many sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, are worsened by weight gain. Poor sleep can also increase your appetite. Sleep can help you fight cravings and make healthier choices as it seems that frontal lobe of our brain are more stimulated by food when you are sleep deprived.
Helps your body fight back: While you’re sleeping your body is producing extra protein molecules that can strengthen your ability to fight infections. If you have not noticed, the next time you have a flu and only rely on medications without getting enough quality sleep, you will realize that recovering takes a long process. However, if you do have a good quality sleep, you will recover at much faster rate. There are even studies that show that different timing in the night and early morning repairs different parts of your body.
Improve your memory and makes you smarter: Do you find it harder to remember things when you are tired? Basically, our body has the amazing ability to give us signals that it is not getting better. Many times, we are often not conscious of these signs. When you sleep well, your body may be resting but your brain is busy organizing and storing memories. Hence, a quality sleep will help you remember and process information better.
Lower your blood pressure: Sleep deprivation and insomnia have been linked to increases in incidence and prevalence of hypertension. Higher blood pressure increases your chances of heart attacks and strokes, but getting plenty of restful sleep encourages a constant state of relaxation that can help reduce blood pressure and generally keep it under control.
Reduce chance of diabetes: Some research studies have shown that not getting enough sleep may lead to type 2 diabetes by affecting how your body processes glucose. One common finding is that sleep deprivation is associated with insulin resistance and glucose intolerance
Keeps your heart healthy: A regular sleep pattern can help to lower the levels of stress and inflammation to your cardiovascular system, which in turn can reduce your chances of a heart condition.
Reduce stress: A regular sleep routine calms and restores the body, improves concentration, regulates mood , sharpens judgment and decision-making. You are a better problem solver and hence, are better able to cope with stress when you are well rested.
Makes you feel better:
Lack of sleep can make us more agitated, so we’re more likely to snap at our boss or be grumpy with a loved one – neither of which is a good thing. The better you sleep, the better your ability to stay calm, controlled and reasonable.
Painkiller: If you’re suffering pain from a recent injury like a sprained ankle, getting plenty of sleep can actually make it hurt less. Many studies have shown a correlation between sleep loss and a lower pain threshold. Basically the more sleep you get, the less pain you might be in.
Try our alternative products and check out our mindfulness practice today. These products and practices help to improve our lives.
Can we improve the quality of sleep?
Here are some tips that can help you sleep better.
Consistency: Create a bedtime ritual. It's not the time to tackle big issues. Instead, take a warm bath, meditate, or read before sleep. Wake up at a consistent time every day (within 1 hour). Stick to a schedule, waking up and retiring at the same times every day, even on weekends.
Watch what and when you eat. Avoid eating heavy meals and alcohol close to bedtime, which may cause heartburn and make it hard to fall asleep. And steer clear of soda, tea, coffee, and chocolate after 2 p.m. Caffeine can stay in your system for 5 to 6 hours.
Reducing screen time: Donʼt look at screens 30 minutes before bedtime. Be screen-free whenever you can (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Shut down your computer, cell phone, and TV at least an hour before you hit the sack.
Make your bedroom conducive for sleep: Turn out the lights. Darkness cues your body to release the natural sleep hormone melatonin, while light suppresses it. Have you ever seen a spa brightly lit or have any many other distractions like the TV, tablets, mobile phones?
Save your bedroom for sleep and rest. Think relaxation and release, rather than work or entertainment. Choose a time during the day to deal with the stress you’re facing, and keep bedtime a worry-free zone. If you find yourself carrying stress to bed with you, keep a notepad on the bedside table where you can write down your concerns and set them aside before sleep.
Eliminate distractions that keep your mind active: Turn off all alerts and notifications or use the "Do-not-disturb" feature on your mobile phone before going to bed. Put mobile phones away from your reach when you are in bed. This will help reduce an auto-pilot of your brain to reach out for it like during the daytime.
Tags: #brainrest, #screentime, #routine, #sleepdeprivation, #sleeploss, #insomnia, #apnea, #snore
Comments