In Dr. A's book, Habits of Health, we can read all about the importance of sleep (Chapter 17).
"...O sleep, O gentle sleep,
Nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee"
~William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part III
Like Shakespeare, Dr. A refers to sleep as "Nature's Nurse". In addition to Chapter 17, here is a wonderful and informative article, written by David Stern, especially for this blog, about the benefits of sleep... ENJOY!!
Never Underestimate a Good Night’s Rest: The Benefits of Sleep
Sleep might be one of the most undervalued aspects of daily life. While there
are certain necessities to surviving, such as food and water, people do not
often realize that sleep is one of these life necessities as well. While most
people sleep every single day, they do not realize the severity and impact it
would have on them if they chose not to.
Extreme sleep deprivation can cause someone to become very ill, delusional and
to even die. So the best thing is to respect your body’s daily need for this
rest. There are plenty of great benefits to making this choice every single
day, but first you might need to appreciate how much sleep you really should be
getting.
How Much Do You Need?
On average, the active adult should be getting around seven hours of sleep
every single night. There are an innumerable amount of factors that can keep
from getting this recommended amount, but there is a reason that your body
needs that long to rest. Much of this has to do with the states of sleep that
your body goes through each night. For most people, there is at least an hour
or two of light sleeping before a deeper and more beneficial sleep develops
from this.
If you are only granting yourself a few hours of sleep every single night, you
are not giving your body and your brain a chance to recharge. Think of this
like a battery on a cell phone. If you only plug it in for 20 minutes every
day, your battery will never hold a charge long enough to be useful. That’s
like the human body — if you do not give it what it needs, it starts acting
adversely and nowhere near as effectively.
Dreaming
Sleep allows your brain to function naturally as well. The dreaming state,
while strange to many people, is a way of processing information that you have
received in a unique way. This time that your brain is active, you are engaging
both the cognitive and the creative sides of your brain simultaneously. This promotes
more intelligent responses and creative ideas or actions in the many hours you
are awake.
Sleep and Energy
Energy is an obvious benefit to sleeping well every night. People tend to get
tired more easily, or remain tired all day when they have not gotten a proper
night’s rest. This affects their work environment, their productivity and the
quality of the work that they are doing. All of these ramifications of sleep
deprivation could put your job in jeopardy.
Sleep and Happiness
Your attitude and general outlook on life are directly linked to your regular
sleep schedule as well. Those that are sleeping less than they should often
have shorter fuses and a chronic negative outlook on what they are doing and
those around them. This can be alienating, and prevent you from appreciating
life as it should be appreciated. Not sleeping regularly for seven hours could
just plain make you unhappier.
These are just a few of the key benefits to sleep. While there are many more to
know and appreciate, these should at least explain the severity of not taking
sleep seriously. Sleep deprivation can be damaging physically, mentally, and
socially.
