Happiness and misery, obesity and leanness, strength and weakness, sexual vigor and impotence, consciousness and loss of sensory acuity, even life and death, depend on the quality of sleep.
– Charaka, Ayurvedic Physician
Evolution wise, it would seem that sleeping would be a bad idea. In most environments, animals face the prospect of being attacked by other creatures if not constantly aware to the predators in the vicinity. Being unconscious for long stretches would not seem to offer any obvious advantages. And yet we find that most animals seem to sleep in some form or the other. Even if dolphins do it with one eye open and half their brain awake.
What happens when we sleep?
Our brain does not stop working during sleep; in fact, it remains quite active, moving through several different stages of rest. Blood vessels start to dilate allowing for efficient removal of waste products that build up as neurons traverse the mind space all day long.
While we sleep, three major functions occur:
Restoration. Our brain rebuilds and restores the body’s energy sources.
Energy Conservation. Our body conserves energy while we sleep.
Memory Processing & Consolidation. Just as any organ in the body, waste needs to be cleared out of our brains in order to ensure proper function. While we sleep cerebrospinal fluid flows through our brain, flushing out these products and enable better functioning of neural connections.
What happens when we don’t sleep?
Research has found that after even temporary sleep deprivation, changes take place at the genetic level, impacting several functions from immunity to stress to carbohydrate metabolism and several other processes. Over time, lack of sleep can place a person at higher risk for heart problems, diabetes, weight gain and obesity and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to physical effects, a lack of rest and particularly REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep has also been shown to impair decision making, reaction times, mood, motivation, learning and may also affect memory.
Lack of sleep also leads to a decrease in leptin, the hormone in our body that tells us when we’re full. Thus we remain hungry all the time, overeat and have cravings for sugar and carbohydrates. It also decreases insulin sensitivity and can lead to insulin resistance.
The effects of sleep deprivation can be exhibited in all areas of your life including:
- Emotional – you may be more frustrated, irritable, cranky and moody
- Social – you may be difficult to get along with or avoid socializing
- Cognitive – impaired ability to learn, poor memory
- Physical productivity is impaired, fatigue and a compromised immune system.
- Safety – judgment may be impaired, making you less aware and alert which can lead to accidents.
- Spiritual – it may be hard to experience inner peace, feel connected and whole or to find the depth, meaning and purpose in life that you desire.
What can you do to get better sleep?
Habitual changes which respect are internal circadian clock are important. Here are some common things to ensure shut-eye sleep:
Turn your screens off (phone, TV, computer) at least an hour before going to bed.
Do not check your smart phone at night.
Get adequate natural light during the day to stimulate your body’s natural wakeful/sleep rhythm.
Only use your bed for sleep. Read, work on computer and talk on the phone in another room.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol or nicotine.
To assess if you are getting enough sleep, start keeping a sleep diary. Track when you start to get tired, when you go to bed, when you wake up and how many hours of sleep you get. Record how many naps you take during the day or when you fall asleep involuntarily.
References:
http://thealamedan.org/blog/
http://thenourishedbelly.com/holistic-health/
http://www.holistichelp.net/sleep.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sleepless-in-america/
http://www.amerisleep.com/blog/why-do-we-sleep/
http://centre4holistichealth.co.uk/tired-not-sleeping-well-b12-may-be-low/
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