Every one knows that a good nights sleep is as important as exercise and healthy eating . but lack of sleep has not been recognized as a serious problem by most people
People who do not sleep well , will find it difficult to maintain their emotional balance and they will experience mild irritability , clinical depression , cognative impairment and poor judgement
The repeated loss of sleep over a long period of time can have a variety of harmful effects , such as poor health , nervousness , irritability , inability to concentrate , lowered levels of perseverance and effort as well as fatigue . according to the American sleep disorders Association , there are more than 80 disorders connected with sleeping and waking , which have effects ranging from limiting one’s personal life to threatening over all health
In this fast moving computer age , people want to become rich quickly and there fore , resort to taking on more than one job , they then have to compromise with sleep is affected by overtime work , night shifts and holiday duties which affect health adversely and give rise to various diseases like peptic ulcers , hyper tension , heart disease , depression and infertility , such women are also susceptible to miscarriages
Apart from causing physical and mental problems to the individual , it makes society suffer heavily .. sleep- deprived persons are mainly responsible for plane crashes , train wrecks and automobile disorders
It is said that in the USA , sleepy drivers are a factor in at least 100000 auto crashes a year and that about 35% of all truck accidents involve drowsy drivers . this condition is the same in other countries too
Dr. edger of the sleep disorders research center at the Stanford university school of medicine , California , USA says people think twice about driving while under the influence of alcohol , but frequently drive their cars while profoundly , sleep deprived , A night’s sleep loss and alcohol interact to cause severe impairment , add inexperienced to the picture , and you begin to understand the worsening automobile accident
Why do we sleep ? revitalization of the body takes during sleep , as do the building of new cells and tissue repair . although these last 2 also occur during waking hours , sleep allows these processes to take place more easily . And it is medically confirmed that natural sleep is the most satisfying form of recuperation from fatigue
Researchers are using bio-technology to locate the genes responsible for sleep . the causes for sleep disorder have not been fully identified, though some beginning has been made
Neuro scientist Robert Green of harward , medical sleep , believes that the brain uses sleep to make molecules of adenosine triphosphate ATP which provide the energy that cells use for all the body’s activity , from moving muscles to thinking
The sleeping process creates adenosine build up informs the brain that the body must take rest to create more ATP , is fully consumed , the adenosine build up informs the brain sends out the message that it is time to sleep . how will find out that you are not getting good and sufficient sleep ?
The requirement of sleep for an individual varies from person to person , but in general , all of us require at least 8 hours sleep , if you are normally alert , feel healthy and are in good humour , you are probably getting a good amount of sleep
Suppose you find a change in your sleep pattern. This indicates that you are not having good sleep . if you sleep more than one hour or longer on week ends than on week days , you can conclude that you are not getting enough sleep
If you need an alarm clock to wake you up , this is also an indication that you are getting sufficient sleep . this is just as if some one pulls you away from the table before you have finished eating , say physicians .
If you are suffering from insomnia ,narcolepsy or sleep apnea , you require immediate medical treatment as these diseases . if you seek the help of alcohol or sleeping pills to go to sleep , that is a symptom of insufficient and bad quality sleep
Alcohol and sleep;- large doses of alcohol will get you off to sleep quickly , but they tend to lead to poorer sleep . one reason is that alcohol suppresses one particular type of sleep , known as rapid eye movement (REM)sleep . At this stage of sleep , our eyes flicker and move . this is when we dream
Thus alcohol reduces the dream sleep , which very essential for our night’s rest and if we are deprived of it , we tend to feel tired and un rested
If we stop drinking for a day or two , the brain tends to to rebound and make up for lost dreams by increasing REM sleep . this tends to lead to bad dreams , night mares and restlessness . this process also takes place
Thus , alcohol reduces the dream sleep which is very essential for our nights rest and if we are deprived of it , we tend to bad dreams , nightmares and restlessness
