Natural Sleep, Good Learning, Good Life
Natural sleep is free and has zero health drawbacks. In my opinion, it is the one treat no one should skimp on. Pillow time gives you energy, bolsters your immune system, boosts your memory, and even helps you get (or stay) slim.
We fall asleep for the brain to get a chance to rebuild memories stored during the day and associate these with previously learned things.
Aim for seven to eight hours of sleep a night, the amount that studies show is ideal. If you’re up-and-at-’em on less, don’t sweat it. Some people are just wired that way.
Listen to your body and it will tell you what you need to wake up feeling good. So if that’s six hours, then get six hours. If you need eight hours to not feel the 2pm lull, then make sure you get to bed early .
Cut slumber short, and you’ll find it harder to make decisions (no surprise to anyone who’s struggled through a workday after a too-late bedtime). Plus, you’ll increase your risk for anxiety and depression.
“Lack of sleep has been associated with hypertension, glucose intolerance, and belly fat — all risk factors for heart disease,” says Nieca Goldberg, M.D., medical director of the New York University-Langone Women’s Heart Program
Some people believe that adults need less sleep as they get older. But there is no evidence to show that older people can get by with less sleep than younger people.
As people age, they often get less sleep or they spend less time in the deep, restful sleep stages. Older people are also more easily awakened.
Sure, we all know we’re supposed to get seven or eight hours of sleep a night, but all of us skimp from time to time, getting, say, five hours one night and six hours the next. Those lost hours, though, can add up to a big sleep debt by the end of the week—the reason so many of us feel wiped out by Friday.
But here’s a bit of good news: Researchers have found that sleeping in after a few days of missed sleep can help pay back that debt, nearly erasing any lingering sense of fatigue and mental fuzziness, according to a study published this week in the journal Sleep.
So, if you do miss a few hours one night, try to get that recovery sleep as soon as possible rather than allowing a sleep debt to accumulate throughout the week.
In addition, during natural sleep, your body produces valuable hormones. Deep sleep triggers more release of growth hormone, which helps build muscle mass and repair cells and tissues in children and adults.
Another type of hormone that increases during sleep works to fight various infections. This might explain why a good night’s sleep helps keep you from getting sick-and helps you recover when you do get sick.
Hormones released during sleep also affect how the body uses energy. Studies find that the less people sleep, the more likely they are to be overweight and to prefer eating foods that are high in calories.
When you ignore the natural sleep cycle, the body produces stress hormones in an effort to keep the body awake. These hormones not only interfere with your ability to sleep, but once you finally do nod off, they won’t allow you to go into the deeper states of sleep, which are necessary for bodily repair and rejuvenation.
The real danger lies in the body becoming habituated to these sleep cycles. It begins adapting to the anticipated stress by automatically secreting stress-coping hormones every night, no matter what time you go to bed.
Not only does this lead to insomnia, but eventually it can shorten the life of brain cells, and pull protein out of muscle tissues such as skeletal muscle and the heart.
Napping for an hour or so during the day can be just as restorative as getting that extra hour at night. But sleep specialists do not recommend taking naps after 3 p.m.
Like eating well and being physically active, getting a good night’s sleep is vital to your well-being
Want to know more about natural sleep ? Then, post your question here.
Yours truly for great health, mind and body,
Michelle, natural health advocate
Related posts:
- Manuka Honey: Natural Treatment For Fiver Blisters/Cold & Canker Sores
- Exercising More, Aging Less & Enjoying Life More!
- Eat Your Peas – Natural Remedy For High Blood Pressure & Kidney Disease!
- Cauliflower: Your Natural Health Solution To Weight Loss
- How To Burn Body Fat: Workout Exercise Before Breakfast-Natural Health Solution
August 22 2010 02:35 pm | Fitness and Green Living and Healthy Eating and Natural Beauty and Natural Remedies and Weight Loss