The Power Of Sleep
Sleep is perhaps one of the most underrated aspects of keeping healthy and feeling great. In our fast paced society people are sleeping less and less. People are losing touch of there body’s natural cycles and do not understand that a solid sleeping habit will increase vitality. Our ancestors from 50 thousand years ago slept on average 8-10 hours, going to bed well before midnight and waking at the crack of dawn to start off hunting. More recently in 1910 people slept on average 9 hours per night. Alarmingly in 2005 the average amount of sleep was a mere 7 hours, which can be attributed to the pace of life and items such as television and computers keeping us up later then ever before.
It is theorized that humans sleep to recharge there body, brain and organs. Sleep gives the brain time to organize data in its memory, repair damaged cells, tissue, muscles and give the cardiovascular system a break. Children also emit a growth hormone during deep sleep. Saying this it is suggested that sleep gives us the following benefits:
• Resting the body
• Feel and healthier
• Live longer
• Reduce risk of diseases such as diabetes and cancer
• Weight control
• Increase mental productivity
• Higher stress tolerance
• Improved memory and cognitive functions
• Recover your body from injuries quicker and healing enhancement
• Alertness
• Optimism and positive emotions
Up to 80% of the population suffers from sleeping problems with a further 40% of that suffering from server sleeping disorders. It has become common place for very few people to have a quality of sleep sufficient for excellent wellbeing. Research suggests that ones IQ can actually drop substantially if sleep deprived and skipping a night’s sleep is equivalent to having a blood alcohol reading over the legal limit. Even just a little lack of sleep will affect you.
The probability of coronary heart disease was increased by 39% and 18% respectively in a study conducted by female health professionals when females slept fewer then 5 and 6 hours. Additionally from this study the probability of dying was increased two and a half times when individuals slept for four hours compared to 8 hours. This study was done on a sample of approximately 1 million people.
There are numerous other studies with similar findings depicting the negative impact associated with sleep deprivation. This is why it is recommended that we all sleep on average sleep 8.5 hours every night, and go to bed before 11pm.
You can tell if your body is not getting enough rest if you:
• Have a poor concentration
• Reduced performance at work
• Nap during the day
• Reluctant to get out of bed
• Hyper activity
• Tendency to emotionally explode over things other people wouldn’t
• Get angry quickly
If you are experiencing any of these it is recommended you turn off your television and computer and increase the amount of sleep you are getting.
© 2007 copyright healthy eating promoting healthy bodies
Health Professional born in Australia with an interest in wellbeing from a young age
www.healthyeating-tips.com promoting healthy bodies
Tags: body, health, Healthy, memory, sleep, sleeping, television, wellbeing
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