Saturday, July 7, 2012

Sleep - Nature's Nurse


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.

David Stern enjoys staying healthy and active, and he is a contributing writer at http://grouphealthinsurance.org/.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Weight Watchers - The ABCs of Weight Loss

I read this in the Weight Watcher magazine July/August 2008, and thought there were some great suggestions here. These were all contributed by successful WW members)...

A - Ask questions (when dining out, don't be afraid to ask your server how a dish is prepared - and request it without sauce or oil).

B - Budget for snacks - you don't have to give up all of your favorite treats, just plan ahead.

C - Cancel the pity party - when you're down about your weight, remind yourself that everyone struggles.

D - Distract yourself - If you're hungry, call a friend, go for a walk, write a letter or email, etc. You'll notice that the hunger usually passes in a matter of minutes.

E - Eat slowly - put the fork down between bites, be more aware of how much you're putting in your mouth.

F - Focus on the presentation - arrange your food creatively, use a larger plate and spread your portions more artfully, it will help you feel more satisfied.

G - Give the new habits time - make a commitment to stick to your new regimen for at least 6 months, it often takes that long for revamped eating or exercise habits to feel natural.

H - Hang out with optimists - The can-do spirit is contagious.

I - Inspire yourself - brainstorm a list of activities you've been putting off because of your weight - it will provide a built-in incentive to slim down.

J - Join up - exercise with others - this often provides a sense of accountibility.

K - Keep your focus - as you lose weight, notice what you're gaining - a healthier diet, slimmer profile, or a new love of exercise.

L - Lighten up your favorite - Use cookbooks that can show you low-fat, healthier versions of your favorite dishes.

M - Make over your kitchen - get rid of trigger foods (those you often overeat) and restock your kitchen with healthy items.

N - Navigate out of your comfort zone - try a new exercise once a week.

O - Opt for the 10-minute rule - Even if you don't feel like it, get moving for at least 10 minutes.

P - Push yourself to try at least one new fruit or vegetable each week - expand your culinary repertoire in a healthy, low-calorie way.

Q - Quit the clean-plate club - stop eating once you're satisfied, and you won't eat tons of extra calories.

R - Reward yourself - if you are looking for a snack after dinner, give yourself a manicure or pedicure instead!

S - Stand up to food pushers - if a host pressures you to eat something you'd rather avoid, tell her you'll try something else on the table - compliment her, and she'll be distracted.

T - Treat your body like a temple - exercise and take care of yourself as if you were an athlete.

U - Use your lunch break wisely - spend half of your lunch break walking.

V - View sweet treats wisely - if you want to shed pounds, you can't eat sweets whenever you like. Find a low - calorie substitute that you can have every day, or limit rich desserts to once a week.

W - Write a gratitude list - each day, jot down 3 to 5 things in your life that you're grateful for.

X - Xerox your exercise moves - find exercise routines you'd like to try in books and magazines, and make copies, then refer to these when you need new moves.

Y - Yearn to accept where you are now - when you fell discouraged by your rate of progress, try to accept and appreciate yourself at your current weight. This might help you hang in there until you start losing weight again.

Z - Zero in on your body - Don't wear big baggy clothes - wearing clothes that fit well to remind yourself of your diet and fitness goals - and the slimmer body your are striving for.

GOOD LUCK!