Sleep Stabilizes the Mind

On average, a human being spends a third of their lives sleeping. This translates into an average eight hours of sleep every day which is the recommended time for rest. However, in the present world, this assertion may sound far fetched and many people would be lucky to spend a quarter of the lives sleeping. The reason is that there are many day to day activities to accomplish within each day. 

Research shows that we need every single minute of sleep. The impression that we can do without sleep or get by on a few hours of sleep is wrong. Adequate sleep will ensure that we have a properly functioning nervous system that helps keep the brain active and stimulated to learn and to boost memory.

The National Sleep Foundation indicates that 40 million Americans have difficulties with their sleep. Unfortunately, the majority will not seek medical attention for the sleep problems. The results of untreated sleep disorders can be life threatening, for example dozing off in the middle of activities such as driving or at work, and the development of health complications caused by inadequate sleep such as heart diseases.

It is believed that two hours out of the 6-8 hours spent sleeping is spent dreaming. This is the REM stage of sleep which is believed to be important in the stimulation of various parts of the brain. This can explain why inadequate sleep is associated with memory loss. Other symptoms of inadequate sleep are moodiness, apathy, concentration problems, slow speech pattern and hallucinations.

Common sleep disorders are insomnia which is the inability to fall asleep or the inability to stay asleep. Individuals suffering from insomnia are most likely to wake up early feeling poorly rested. Insomnia is now well studied and has been shown to cause other health problems. It affects both adults and younger members of the population.

Another of the sleep disorders is sleep apnoea which is characterized by pauses in breathing while asleep. Sleep apnoea is associated with neurological conditions and weak muscles in the upper airways. Decreased supply of oxygen to the brain in sleep apnoea patients causes inability to think clearly and lack of adequate rest.  

Health problems arising as a result of sleep disorders are hypertension, depression, anxiety, weight gain, diabetes; magnification of schizophrenia, ADHD and bipolar disorder symptoms, mood disorders among other problems. Lack of sleep also weakens the immune system predisposing the body to a number of infections.

People are advised to discuss any sleep deficiency symptoms with a physician. This will help to diagnose and treat the problems as early as possible. Establishing a routine and enabling sleep environment help people to develop sleep patterns that will make them get adequate sleep.

http://www.examiner.com/article/sleep-stabilizes-the-mind?cid=rss.

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