These are busy times. And with all that some people have to do, they might look at sleep as an “unnecessary evil.” To those in that situation, “sleep time” is just an interference to be tolerated.
Who does this apply to? Think of those working on their college and school assignments into the wee hours of the night. Think about the many wives and mothers who may be working during the day only to come home to the “household chores” that must be done. What about those mothers preparing their children’s lunches and clothes for school the next day. They usually are found doing so before they finally go to sleep themselves. What about the many fathers and mothers that may have to work two jobs or even overtime just to make “ends meet” in their finances. And, we could give so many more examples like this.
All such ones may be “tiredly” singing the lyrics, I seem to recall, in one of Frank Sinatra’s old songs which are, “30 hours can’t make me a day.”
So, is sleep just to be tolerated? Is it just an encroachment on one’s time? Or is it really necessary to our wellness? And, should we even try to get a good night’s sleep? What do the facts show?
Those that may try to squeeze every second out of every minute, out of every hour, out of every day, may be alarmed to know just how much they are depriving themselves—especially if they minimize the amount of good restful sleep they get. In fact, “sleep deprivation” is more common than most people, that it affects, may even realize.
So, how important is a good night’s sleep to our wellness and health and overall well-being? Let us consider some evidence of the importance of sleep on our health and wellness.
According to a past issue of the magazine Science News, “People who get by on a modest sleep deficit are often not aware of their shrinking thinking capabilities and don’t feel particularly drowsy.” This was in reference to a two-week study of 48 volunteers, aged 21 to 38.
That study showed that in just a few days, the constant sleep shortage reduced their mental abilities, including alertness and reaction time.
All of the participants had previously averaged between seven and eight hours of sleep per night, but for the study they were now divided into four groups. Members of three groups were allowed to sleep for eight hours, six hours, or four hours a night. The other group was allowed no sleep at all for a three-day period.
The resulting tests showed increasing losses in abilities for both the six-hour and four-hour groups, but there were no losses for those who slept for eight hours.
More studies which confirm these results.
In a University of Chicago study, healthy young men who got only four hours of sleep on six consecutive nights began to show signs of medical problems usually associated with senior citizens.
A sleep researcher from New York’s Cornell University, Dr. James Maas, noted that, even though many people sacrifice precious hours of sleep for the sake of work, school, or pleasure, the results can be counterproductive. He stated that “It’s one thing to function, another to be alert, creative and not have an unintended sleep seizure driving down the freeway.”
According to Dr. James Maas,”Sleep enables the brain to replenish vital neurotransmitters, so adequate sleep is essential for good memory, creativity, problem solving, and learning capabilities.
He continues. “The effects of insufficient sleep include depression, irritability, anxiety, decreased sense of humor and social skills, decreased ability to concentrate and remember, reduced communication and decision skills, increased risk taking, and reduced productivity and quality of life. People who sleep five hours or less also reduce their resistance to viruses.”
And what does he conclude? He suggests, “For peak performance we must invest one-third of our life in sleep which averages out to eight hours per night.”
What we are talking about here is not an isolated situation, as if we here in the United States are the only ones experiencing this. For example, the South African newspaper, The Natal Witness wrote that “At least a quarter of South Africans are functioning on half throttle [at half their potential] due to sleep deprivation or disorders.”
At a conference held a few years ago in Strasbourg, France, a controversial theory was presented. Sleep was said to be of less benefit to the body than to the brain, which recovers from the efforts of the day through sleep. Tests indicate that whereas “human bodily functions continue practically unimpaired even after several days without sleep,” reports Die Zeit, “the brain is different.” In test cases, people suffered from “lack of attention and concentration, impaired memory, a slowing down of the thought process, and orientation problems” when deprived of sleep.
As we can see from the above, the brain and thinking ability is very much affected by the lack of a good night’s sleep. Research shows that many other things are affected by the lack of a good night’s sleep. For example, one’s memory, motor skills, problem solving skills, judgment, as well as numerous physical functions all depend on a good night’s sleep.
And it should be noted that children are especially affected by not getting a good night’s sleep. Nutrition, exercise, and hours of restful sleep are all needed for a child to grow properly.
As reported a few years ago in the Jornal do Brasil, professor of endocrinology Amélio Godoy Matos stated that “Hours of restful sleep should also be guaranteed because the growth hormone is secreted only when the child is sleeping.”
Emotional problems likewise can slow the growth of a child. In this regard, according to endocrinologist Walmir Coutinho, “watching television for hours on end, especially violent films, is harmful to the child’s sleep and may upset sound development.”
So yes, it is important to try to get a good night’s sleep, for ourselves and our children. The easiest thing we can do to ensure this is to make the time for sleep. It is not a “necessary evil.” It is necessary for good health and wellness.
Besides adjusting our daily schedule in order to set aside proper time for a good night’s sleep, there are a number of other things we can do to ensure that we actually do get that needed good night’s sleep.
For the sake of our seeking wellness together, we will discuss those things in coming posts here. Remember our goal: wellness for ourselves and those that we care about. Getting a good night’s sleep is a “step” in the right direction.
Tags: good night's sleep, sleep, sleep deprivation, sleep deprivedThis entry was posted on August 12, 2010 at 8:24 pm and is filed under Wellness Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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