Sleep is not an option but a necessity. People today are suffering from sleep disorders which can be a result of a fast-paced lifestyle, poor eating habits, or simply a lack of discipline.
During the day normal cells create waste and as it accumulates, we feel tired. The waste is flushed away during sleep enabling us to awake refreshed. Sleep also removes toxic proteins in the brain linked to many brain-related diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. Common sleep disorders like insomnia, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, and sleep apnea can affect every aspect of your life including your safety, relationships, school, and work performance, thinking, mental health, weight, and the development of diabetes and heart disease.
It is believed that between 30% and 48% of older adults suffer from insomnia. Women have a lifetime risk of insomnia that is as much as 40% higher than that of men who have sleep disorders and mainly arise due to their lifestyle.
The key organs are responsible for cleaning or detoxication like kidneys, lungs, liver, and large intestines work at their peak at night. These organs responsible for detoxification in our body start the process of detoxification when the body is at rest during the night.
The many stages of sleep transition from wakefulness to deep sleep
Stage 1 – Awake Time
The body and the brain start to sense the darkness and start preparing for sleep. It lasts for 15 to 20 minutes
Stage 2 – Light Sleep
In this stage, your body temperature drops and your heart rate begins to slow down. The brain begins to sleep. It lasts for 20 minutes.
Stage 3 – Deep Sleep
In this stage, your muscles relax, the blood pressure and breathing rate drop, and the deepest sleep happens.
Stage 4 – REM Sleep
In stage 4, your brain becomes more active but the body becomes relaxed and immobilized. This is the REM stage when you experience dreams and your eyes start to move rapidly.
What happens if you don’t get enough sleep as we discussed above? Below are the symptoms that you might experience if you are not able to get the required quality sleep.
Must-Read: 5 ways that will help you sail through your life in mid 40s
The following conditions may occur when we do not get sufficient sleep
- Chronic tiredness
- Mood swings
- Frustration/Irritability
- Difficulty in controlling your emotions
- Inability to think clearly
For students, the effect of insomnia or sleeplessness can show up in the following ways
- They worry more and find it difficult to concentrate, understand, and remember.
- They become physically weak and get more prone to catch cold and other infections
- They don’t like to take part in sports activities and like to indulge in unhealthy eating practices
It is evident from above how not sleeping properly can create a series of symptoms in your body and can impact your life in a negative way. Below, we discuss how you would feel if your body is sleep-deprived.
Consequences of sleep deprivation
- Increased risk of mental health disorders like anxiety, excessive daytime sleepiness and poor diet.
- Body organs do not get proper time to flush out toxins and they get stored in the body causing damage as there is fixed timing for the detoxification of various organs e.g: gallbladder detoxifies between 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM, liver, lungs and large intestines from 1:00 AM to 7:00 AM
For example, If one sleeps at 2 am one day the gallbladder would not detoxify the said day and if the sleep time continues, the toxicity increases.
How to fall asleep when you are not able to? Below are some of the ways (in brief) which can help you get the sleep at the proper time and when it is needed.
Must Read: Want a Good Immunity in 2021? Check your Nutrition!
Ways you can follow to fall asleep faster:
- Reading a book, listening to music and taking a bath before hitting the bed. Try not to watch television or mobile phone at least half an hour before you are trying to fall asleep.
- Try and follow a sleep routine. Go to sleep at the same time each day and get up at the same time each morning. It is also advisable to try not to take naps during the day
- Avoid taking heavy meals, caffeine or alcohol late in the night
- Make the sleeping place comfortable, dark and quiet, neither too warm or too cold. Keeping your room well at room temperature helps a lot in falling asleep.
To be at your peak performance, at least 7 hours of sleep is a must.
Disclaimer – The tips given in this article are for informational purposes only. It does not intend to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult your dietitian and medical health practitioner before making any changes to your diet or before taking any supplements.
Follow @storizenmag on Instagram
Connect with us on facebook.com/Storizenmag
Follow us on twitter.com/storizenmag
Follow us on Issuu and never miss another issue from us
