Anyway, how important is sleep anyway??? Is it really THAT important? This is what I read about the...
Benefits of sleep:
Sleep is an important function of good health. Just as cholesterol and blood pressure are good indicators of overall health, so too is healthy sleep.
Research shows that the body restores itself during sleep. As we sleep, tissue grows and repairs itself and the immune system is strengthened. The brain may also repair itself during sleep and researchers believe sleep is critical to healthy brain function. In fact, researchers also believe the brain performs actions vital to learning and memory during sleep. Sleep can also affect the levels of hormones and other important chemicals circulating in your body
Do you know what happens when you sleep?
A good night's sleep actually consists of different stages and levels of sleep. In sleep clinic studies, people have been connected to an electroencephalograph (EEG) machine that measures electric brain activity. An EEG allows us to see when there is a lot of brain activity and when the mind is at rest.
From recording brain activity and monitoring other bodily functions, scientists now divide a night of sleep into two general phases. Together, these two phases form one complete sleep cycle that lasts approximately 90 minutes. You go through two to five of these cycles in a typical night's sleep.
PHASE 1 - The first general phase of sleep consists of 4 stages and is called Non-Rapid Eye Movement sleep, or NREM.
Stages of NREM Sleep:
Stage 1: When you first fall asleep, you enter the lightest stage of sleep. It's really a bridge between wakefulness and deep sleep, and you can be easily awakened during this time. Your senses are muted, so you won't be bothered by light sounds. However, loud noises - a car alarm, slamming door or crying child - can wake you up.
Stage 2: Since no loud noises woke you up, you now travel into a deeper sleep. During this stage your heart rate evens out and your body temperature drops. This stage accounts for roughly half of an average night’s sleep.
Stages 3 and 4: Stages 3 and 4 are the deepest phases of non-REM sleep and represent about 15% of a total night’s sleep. During these combined stages of sleep, your blood pressure falls, your body temperature continues to drop and your breathing slows. The noises that might wake you during stage 1 sleep do not rouse you during these later, deeper stages of sleep.
PHASE 2 - Most people have heard of the second general phase of sleep - Rapid Eye Movement sleep or REM.
REM Sleep:
After approximately 30 minutes of deep sleep in non-REM stages 3 and 4, we begin to cycle back through stages 2 and 1 until we enter the period of REM sleep. The brain activity during REM sleep is similar to brain activity during wakefulness. Dreaming is common in REM sleep.
So then...What is a Good Night's Sleep?
When you get a good night's sleep, you wake up feeling restored, refreshed, alert and ready to face the day ahead. Good sleep is restorative. It allows us to be more effective and productive in our jobs and daily lives as well as in our personal relationships. Good sleep also enhances our quality of life. It helps us to feel good and have a sense of well-being throughout the day.
You've probably heard the magic number is 8 hours a night. In truth, different people have different sleep needs. If you wake up feeling refreshed, then you received the correct amount of sleep.
Just as we all recognize the benefits of a good night's sleep, we all know how it feels to have slept poorly. For most people, even a few nights of reduced sleep can have a dramatic impact on their well being. In all, more than 40% of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities. Additionally, long term sleeplessness has been associated with depression, obesity and other mental health disorders.
12 comments:
Oh my! What do you do up so late? Party all night?! haha! I can barely stay up until 9:30 p.m.
No...no parties; I spend time on the computer (e-mail & blogging), work on Christmas cards, read, make lists, groceries, watch TV shows that I recorded. I am with the kids all day and once they go to bed at night, I feel like I need to do something for me. I think that probably (and obviously) the best thing I can do for me is SLEEP :)
oh, to have lots of sleep when you have children..wouldn't that be amazing? haha
Thanks for the information on sleep Tracy. I've been doing the same...plan on going to sleep earlier, however, it seems some nights I've been getting to bed so much later than planned. My brain goes and goes once I hit my pillow...it takes awhile for me to fall asleep each night...the joys of being a mom : )( I wouldn't trade it for anything).
Carrie
Tracey,
I am totally the same way! I LOVE to sleep, but for some reason stay up later than I should. I have found that going to bed AT 10pm, is vastly different than going to SLEEP at 10 pm. I am one of those people who are best on 8-15hours of sleep :-)
It is so dumb of me to stay up late, because I feel the same 'guilt' and shame as when I eat what I want to avoid.
In the spirit of support and friendship, how about we make a deal, 5 days (doesn't have to be in a row-life happens) going to bed at 10pm, and we get together for Starbucks-my treat.
When we get to 30 days, Dinner. How's that sound? I will do it too!
Dearest Laura:
You are so kind and thoughtful to think of that incentive plan to help both you and Tracy. I know you gals can do it.
Peace and blessings to you both in Jesus' name I pray:
Donna
Laura:
What a sweet idea! I am afraid to accept your challenge. We might be, like, 40 by the time we actually get out to Starbucks! He-he!
Okay! I can do this! I can do this??? I'll do it. It's especially hard around this time of the year when there are million things to do...but I'm sure that I can do it - how hard can it be to get to bed at 10:00, eh?
I am like this in more than one area of my life. I will do things that I know for a fact are not healthy for me and that I really desire to change, but I just keep doing them anyway. It's like when I go through a period where I feel like I am being deprived of certain foods and then I binge; during that time I am so mad at myself yet, not angry enough to change. What is that? Aerie told me once that he worries about that because he doesn't know what it will have to take to make me change? Let's say If I know that my life depended on the fact that I cannot eat sugar or that I had to get 8 hours of sleep each night -- would I still stay up...or would I still eat sugar now and then? Right now I know that my life does not depend on those things, but I absolutely believe that those things prolong our lives and make us healthier. Because my immune system is compromised (Candida) I need to tackle this thing and get rid of it. I know exactly how to do it, but there is something stopping me from reaching my goal. Fear? Fear of failure, fear of missing out on something I want? I don't exactly know. I just need to make that decision and stick with it at ALL costs. Just like sleeping by 10:00. Why is it so hard? And why do I feel like I am the only person in the world who struggles with the same things over and over?
This is me venting.
Laura, I am going to accept your challenge. It may take me months, but I am going to accept it! I'm scared and excited all in one. Isn't that weird?
Thanks!
Love,
Trace
Yes Donna, Laura is very thoughtful and kind. I don't know Laura all that well, and I don't know you very well either, but I feel like we all getting to know each other through our little blogging world. When I see you guys on Sunday, it feels like I am running into a friend...we are busy and only say hi, but our eyes are saying so much more.
You're a very thoughtful and wise woman of God & I know there is even more inside of you that we could all glean from!
Love,
Tracy
Dearest Tracy:
I have struggled and will again with those same ?s. I am wondering if all of humanity struggles with these issues in some form or another at some time of their lives or another. Was'nt it David "a man after God's own heart"who asked himself these very same ?s. Sharing our thoughts and the feelings that come from them is such a powerful tool for the body of Christ. Scripture commands us to get together fellowship/sharing(I am including blogging as a form of sharing). Not when we think we are "good enough" ,in control enough, rich enough, have IT figured out enough........but all the time. For it is then that the Holy Spirit can do the work that needs to be done in freeing us up to do His will.
Anyways, I for one can relate to what you are saying. So lets press on in Faith, right.
P.S.
It could have been the apostle Paul or one of the disciples (arg!!spelling!!-the guys who hung with Jesus) that struggled with the ? of why do I do what I do not want to do. I could not find the quote in the Bible gateway-sorry (I cannot get Scripture into my mind fast enough!!working on it) However the point is we are in pretty good company eh? YAY!!! (and I know that one is spelled correctly-thanks Carrie-I love the way God is moving me into competance (OK, slowly but surely) through the body of Christ and the Holy Spirit (of course) Thank You Jesus and Thank You All.
Peace and blessings I pray to you all in Jesus' mighty name:
Donna
I went through major insomnia as well. I had to learn to shut my brain off, but it was hard. I do know that I feel better when I have had a good nights sleep, but sleeping kind of was a waste of a good evening:) We could chat on MSN at night when we are both sleepless.
Hey, I am Sleepless in Stittsvile. I should make a movie!
Love Sarah
Hi Sarah! Well, if it's late and I'm up...then I am most likely online. The next time I will hit you up, k! And you can do the same. That would be fun. I love chatting, but I don't have much time for that during the day - only when the kids are napping in the afternoon and everyone that I know is busy working during that time. But then again, if I were chatting all the time, I wouldn't really have time to update my blog (which I don't do very often anyway). Hmmm.
Sleepless in Stittsville...that's a good one. Oh, I loved that movie (Sleepless in Seattle).
Love,
Trace
Donna:
Yes, you are so right - sharing our feelings and thoughts that come from our struggles is such a powerful tool.
Yeah, let's press on in Faith :)
Love,
Tracy
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