For any person to be perfectly healthy, the perfect health of his body and mind is essential. Restful sleep plays an important role in that. Sleep is as vital as eating and breathing. When a person sleeps, his mind and body are fully rested and ready to face the next day. However not getting enough sleep can damage the health of the mind and body and significantly affects the quality of life.
We must know that apart from mental zeal, productivity, emotional balance, creativity and physical energy, even body weight can be determined by the factor of sleep.
In such a short period, a small element called sleep can easily achieve many changes or benefits in the human body. Therefore, even a mild lack of sleep can negatively affect a person’s mood, energy, and ability to handle stress.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, people between the ages of 18 and 64 need at least 7-9 hours of sleep. But most people do not sleep less than seven hours a night. However, in busy schedules, people should have 6-6.30 hours of good sleep is somehow better, but it points to insomnia.
Similarly, in children and adolescents, growth-promoting hormones are released the most during sleep. The action of these hormones is said to aid in the building of muscle as well as in the regeneration of cells and tissues. Adequate sleep is essential for body development during the period of puberty.
How does lack of sleep interfere with the functioning of the Central Nervous System?
Sleep plays a major role in the proper functioning of the central nervous system. When a person is asleep, the busy neurons in his brain get rest and new pathways (neuronal interconnections) are formed for them. As this process takes place, it helps them to start their new activities when they wake up in the morning.
Lack of sleep exhausts a person’s brain, thereby leading to a kind of drowsiness and loss of concentration. By doing this, the ability to learn new things diminishes. For this reason, significant short-term and long-term memory impairments occur.
Due to lack of sleep, various types of changes occur in the person. The inability to make appropriate decisions in day-to-day life and at the same time slows down creative abilities.
Lack of sleep causes significant changes in our emotions and mood. Getting angry suddenly is also a bad thing. If the lack of sleep continues for a long period, there is no doubt that paranoia, hallucinations, impulsive behaviour, depression and suicidal thoughts can occur. Insomnia causes depression too. Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder in individuals. It is considered as the first symptom of depression.
Microsleep is considered a side effect of lack of sleep. A sleep lasting only a few seconds or minutes is generally referred to as microsleep. The biggest feature of this is that we have woken up before we even feel that we have fallen asleep. If this happens while driving, things get completely out of control and extremely dangerous.
A brain phenomenon known as ‘Sharp Wave Ripples’ helps to consolidate memory. These ripples or waves transfer the perceived knowledge from the Hippocampus to a place in the brain called the Neocortex. Long-term memories are stored here in the Neocortex. But Sharp Wave Ripples occur more during deep sleep.
Sleep Cycle
REM and non-REM sleep cycles are complete. Each cycle lasts about 90 minutes. Deep sleep (Stage N3) & REM sleep are very important.
Our 24-hour sleep-wake cycle is generally known called Circadian Rhythm, which is controlled by certain functions in our brain that determine how long we stay awake and how we respond to the changes between day and night.
At night, our body produces a hormone called melatonin. Due to its action, we feel sleepy at night. But in the morning, our brain reduces the production of this same melatonin and we are more energetic and more active.
Here are some factors that interfere with the functioning of our biological clock:
* Night shift work.
* Travel through different time zones.
* Irregular sleep patterns.
The above factors not only make us very restless, nervous and confused but also lethargic on occasion.
The artificial light coming out of mobile phones, laptops, and TVs reduces the production of melatonin and leads to insomnia.
Ways to Achieve Better Sleep
– Enforce a regular sleep schedule.
-Don’t go to bed after eating too much or not eating at all. Avoid alcohol, nicotine and caffeine-containing drinks as much as possible before going to bed. Also, make sure to drink enough water.
– Establish a bedtime ritual. That means taking a bath in warm water before going to sleep reading any book you like or listening to a quiet song. Bed lamps can be used to reduce the amount of light.
– Set up the bedroom in a way that is conducive to a good night’s sleep. It is better if it is completely calm and cool. Try to use good-quality beds and pillows.
– Avoid napping as much as possible. If you do sleep, try not to sleep for more than 30 minutes.
-Give priority to regular physical exercises.
– Choose healthy ways to reduce stress.