Tag: sleep deprivation

Why Do Our Brains Require Sleep?

We spend around one-third of our lifetimes sleeping. Sleeping is as crucial to our bodies as having to eat, drink, and breath, and it is critical for sustaining excellent mental and physiological wellness Sleep allows us to recuperate from both mental and physical effort.

Sleep and health are inextricably linked; sleep deprivation increases the likelihood of poor health, and poor health makes it more difficult to sleep. Sleep problems are also one of the earliest symptoms of a health issue. Anxiety and depression, for example, are common mental health issues that are frequently underlying sleep disorders.

Anxiety might lead your mind to rush, making it difficult to sleep. Oversleeping can result from depression, which might cause you to sleep late or sleep a lot throughout the day. If you have disturbing thoughts, it might also induce sleeplessness. Nightmares and night terrors can be caused by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

These may cause you to wake up and/or make you apprehensive about going asleep. Mania might cause you to feel exhilarated or energised, and you may not feel exhausted or desire to sleep. You may also experience obsessive thoughts that make it difficult to sleep. Medication might cause adverse effects such as sleeplessness, nightmares, and excessive sleep. Sleep issues might also occur after you stop taking your medicine.

We can all gain from bettering our sleeping habits. For most of us, it may simply be a matter of adopting little lifestyle or mindset changes to aid us sleep better. Insomnia (loss of sleep or poor quality sleep) or other sleep issues affect up to one-third of the population.These can have an impact on our mood, energy, and concentration levels, as well as our capacity to stay awake and perform at work during the day.

What factors might contribute to sleep issues?

There are several factors that might influence our sleep. They are as follows:

  • tension or anxiety
  • a change in the sound levels or temperature of your bedroom 
  • a changed schedule, for instance, due to jet lag
  • excessive drinking of  coffee or alcohol
  • consecutive shifts
  • medical or psychiatric issues
  • adverse effects of medications

How to get better sleep?

Often, simple practises might help you sleep better. If they don’t help, talk to your doctor about additional options, especially because sleep disorders might be an indicator of other health concerns.

There are four basic things to think about if you want to recover from a spell of bad sleep:

Health

We know that bad health has an impact on sleep and vice versa. Sleep issues are frequently associated with mental health issues such as sadness and anxiety. It is critical to treat any health problems, for both physical symptoms as well as for any anxieties that may keep you up.

Environment

It is vital to sleep in a comfortable environment, and the bedroom and bed should be the primary areas you connect with sleep. Viewing TV shows playing on your smartphones or other devices, and snacking in bed, especially, all can have an impact on the nature of our sleep. Temperature, excessive noise, and lighting all have an impact on our sleep.

Attitude

It is easy to fall asleep when we can relax and let go of our worries. We’ve all experienced nights wherein we stayed awake and worried. We should attempt to unwind, be less stressed, and calm before going to bed. This might be more difficult than ever these days, but breathing exercises, a hot bath, or meditation can help.

Lifestyle

What you consume might have an impact on your sleep. Caffeine and other stimulants can make it difficult to sleep, and a large or heavy meal close to night can make sleep unpleasant. While alcohol may appear to help you fall asleep, it really lowers the quality of your sleep later on. Exercising during the day is also beneficial to sleep, but because it generates adrenaline, exercising in the evening, however, may be less beneficial.

Bursting myths about sleep Deprivation

Sleeping brain has been a mystery for a very long time. Psychologists, Neuroscientists or even physiologists haven’t been able to fully unravel this mystery. This makes room for confusion and myths. Fortunately, scientists are able to understand some of sleep’s critical functions, and the reasons we need it for optimal health and wellbeing.

Let’s decode some myths about Sleep :

  • Sleep is a time when the mind and body shut down.

But this is not the case; sleep is an active period in which a lot of important processing, restoration, and strengthening occurs. This is one of the major reasons why maintaining your sleep schedule is so vital. 

  • One only needs 6 hours of sleep to function.

This isn’t true. To operate optimally, you need seven to eight hours of sleep. 

  • One can catch up on sleep on the weekends.

Those who are not able to have a healthy sleep schedule on weekdays tend to catch up on sleep on the weekends.This is partially true, but if you’ve had chronic partial sleep deprivation, it could take days to weeks to recover.

  • One can sleep too much.

The truth is you can’t sleep too much. You probably overslept because your body needs that rest. But if you do feel worse when you’re sleeping more, it’s probably because you’re recognizing your true sleep needs. 

  • If I wake up at night, I will play on my phone or watch my tv to help me relax.

We fall for the unhealthy habit of using our phone or watching tv to help us relax. What we don’t realise is that the bright light from our devices activates our brain, and also can shift our melatonin release, shifting our circadian rhythm which eventually ends up disturbing our sleep furthermore.

  • Alcohol helps me sleep.

Isn’t that a common statement? Well, it’s true that alcohol does help people relax. But the loophole is that once it’s cleared from the body, it fragments the sleep making it a poor quality. 

Here are some tips that can help improve your Sleep:

It is very crucial to maintain a regular sleep-wake pattern to establish a stable circadian rhythm which eventually helps in improving the quality of your sleep. 

Get the amount of sleep you need during the week, and avoid sleeping in on weekends, as doing so will disrupt your sleep rhythm. Even if you sleep poorly or not at all one night, try to maintain your regular schedule the next. 

If you have trouble falling asleep at night, avoid napping if possible. Evening naps should be especially avoided because they will make you less sleepy when you go to bed.

 A few changes in our sleep schedule can do wonders for our health.

We spend one third of our lives sleeping, so it’s very essential for us to have as many good night sleeps as possible. The best sleep habits are consistent, healthy routines that allow all of us, regardless of our age, to meet our sleep needs every night, and keep on top of life’s challenges every day.

SLEEP DEPRIVATION CAUSED BY THE UNHEALTHY USE OF GADGETS

It is said that “Sleep deprivation will kill you more quickly than food deprivation.” A good night’s sleep is one of the basic necessities of the human body for its active metabolism and better productivity. An average adult human requires 8 hours of continuous sleep each day. Any interference in the natural regular sleeping patterns can have a tremendous impact on one’s health: mentally as well as physically. Nowadays, people tend to sleep less than they did in the past and their quality of sleep has also faced a downturn.

We live in the middle of a world full of technologies and are surrounded by screens of smartphones, laptops, tablets, e.t.c. Though these gadgets make our lives easy and fast, we are least bothered about its negative effects on our lives. The overuse of technology causes eye strain, musculoskeletal health issues, sleep deprivation, etc. not only in adults but also in teens and kids. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), prolonged use of computers, tablets, and cellphones can lead to digital eye strain which results in blurred vision, dry eyes, headaches, due to screen glare, bad lighting, and improper viewing distance. The unnatural way of holding the smartphones induces a lot of stress on the neck, shoulder and spine. Initially, these physical strains might seem negligible but can cause severe health impacts in the long run. 

Technology in the bedroom can interfere with sleep in a number of ways. Studies have found that 90% of US citizens use screening devices in the hour before going to bed, which can cause immense psychological and physiological impacts, capable enough to disrupt one’s sleep. Scientifically speaking, the blue light emitted from the gadgets suppress the sleep-inducing hormones like melatonin disturbing the biological clock. Lack of sleep causes stress, increased blood pressure, memory issues, weakened immunity, increased risk of heart diseases etc, thus dramatically decreasing our quality of life. Studies reveal that the increasing number of depression and anxiety among people, especially youth, has a correlation with the overuse of gadgets and social networks. Kids who are exposed to television, video games, mobile phones, and tech toys beyond the recommended time limit is seen to have retarded brain growth than other kids. They too experience sleep problems in addition to behavioural and social problems. 

From buying groceries to attending online classes, from consulting a distant doctor virtually to paying bills and dues, technology and gadgets plays an intangible role in making our lives smooth and less hectic. The technologies which we depend on for our comforts should never be the reason for our own distress. For that, we should always make sure to keep a balance between technology and healthy lifestyle.