Pillow Talk
By Blue Rose on Monday, 3 of August , 2009 at 4:48 pm
Do favors to your body – stop crimping on the sleep you deserve
In the same light as time, love, and chocolate, sleeps has become one of many luxuries in life a lot of people long to have more of. But nowadays, people are sleeping 20 percent less compared to the last century. Does this mean we are making better use of out time because we don’t sleep as much anymore? Apparently, the answer is no.
8 is the magic number – It’s been stated time and again that, eight hours is the ideal length of time for a good night’s sleep. But there are natural born short sleepers who will survive just fine with four to five hours of sleep (Martha Stewart, for example), just as there are natural born long sleepers who will need more than eight. The right amount of sleep should be able to accommodate protein synthesis in the most efficient way. It is during our sleep that the growth hormone is secreted and protein anabolism occurs for our skin repairs, nails, bones, cartilages, ligaments, and hair growth – making it vital that we are all sleeping soundly at night. That is why most of the men and women ages 40 and up are losing hairs, because during that age gap they can’t sleep normal as before. Reasons, well it’s up for you to think.
Shattering sleep myths – many myths tends to get in the way of a healthy attitude towards sleep. The paradigm must be shifted to make the most of the one-third of our lives spent under the comforter – making it important to set the following misconceptions straight:
- Sleep is a waste of time. Many people complain that they could accomplish so much if they used the time they spend sleeping for something else. But it is through a good night’s sleep that we can repair and recharge our minds and bodies to function efficiently and creatively during the day when we are awake.
- You can learn to need less sleep. If one can wear contacts to change the color of their eyes, or wear a girdle to keep love handles in place, it’s not the same for sleep. Just like DNA, we are all born with a sleep capacity and need. “Training” one-self to get by on less rest equals walking through life like a sleep-deprived zombie.
- Falling asleep quickly means you have well sleep habits. According to specialist Michael Thorpy, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorder Center at New York’s Montefiore medical Center, people who say “I can sleep anytime, anywhere”, actually have a pathological tendency for sleep problems. “Most people take about 12 minutes to drop off at night. Anything less than five indicates serious sleep debt,” says psychologist Donald B. Weaver of Dallas’ Sleep Medicine Institute at Presbyterian Hospital.
- Afternoon naps are sign of laziness. Our body’s alertness level naturally hits a low between two to four o’clock in the afternoon. Like taking an aspirin for headaches, naps are a good solution to feeling tired.
- A heavy lunch will bring on the urge to nap. The notion that a big meal will lead to a sleeping spree is false. This is so, though not because of the meal, but because of the natural dip of alertness during the mid afternoon hours and the craving to make up for overall sleep deprivation.
- Spicy food causes bad dreams. According to Rosalind Cartwright, director of the Sleep Disorder Service and Research Center at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago, “There is no relation between food and dreams.” Indigestion, however, can easily wake one up abruptly from sleep and if this happens right after a specific dream, you will most likely remember it. (Though an uncomfortable stomach plus an extreme dose of dreaming can, indeed, feel like a nightmare).
Sleep doesn’t have to be an indulgence or a weekend treats. We must alter our perceptions and re-educate ourselves on the value of sleep as a necessary part of our daily lives. Just like exercise and eating right, sleeping is an integral part of the entire wellness cycle – and vital to living our waking hours to the fullest.
