The importance of sleep
Updated: Apr 14
Recommendation to importance of sleep
Makes you smart, powerful, creative, powerful, satisfied, interesting. It is the cheapest medicine you take on a daily basis. Be careful with it.
Perhaps it is the cheapest type of therapy. But certainly one of the most difficult tasks.
You should sleep well, not too little, not too much. You should avoid late, hearty food in the evening and intense sports sessions. The consumption of blue light and noise from the TV and mobile phone reduces your sleep quality.The time of bedtime and getting up should be as uniform as possible. And it's best to wake up just before the alarm clock rings.
Surely you have read and heard one or even all of the recommendations somewhere. But it is understandable if it is almost impossible to follow them all. What do I do if my team sport is due to the hall times in the evening from 20.00-21.30 o'clock? How do I explain to my boss if I only order a glass of water for a business lunch? And should I leave my one-year-old child crying in bed when it reports at 1:00 a.m.?
So we can't follow many rules about sleep at certain stages of life. That is a fact.
Effects on sleep
Nevertheless, probably all of you know how nerve-racking and exhausting the next day in the office or the competition on the field is, if we have slept too little and badly the night before. What else can affect our sleep and worsen the quality? Many things.
The hormone testosterone can prolong sleep duration.
The female hormone estrogen can reduce our core body temperature and cause fatigue.
A lack of daytime physical activity and an unhealthy lifestyle can be reasons for sleep problems and increase the risk of suffering from chronic diseases.
Taking certain contraceptives can increase melatonin* secretion and lead to earlier bedtimes in the evening.
*Melatonin is a hormone that determines the day-night rhythm of humans.
So we can and should become aware of certain negative influences of sleep, and try not to let them become habitual.
Did you know that:
... only 5% of the world's population dream in black and white? Most dreams are actually colorful. However, this is difficult to objectify and the results are based on questionnaires.
... Women tend to have poorer sleep quality than men? And that this can be explained by the role of gender and hormones?
If you are more interested in sleep, I can recommend the book Why we Sleep by Matthew Walker. A little tip: it's not an easy read.
Why We Sleep is an important and fascinating book…Walker taught me a lot about this basic activity that every person on Earth needs. I suspect his book will do the same for you. Bill Gates
And now: sleep well!
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References:
1. Zielinski MR, McKenna JT, McCarley RW. Functions and mechanisms of sleep. AIMS Neurosci. 2016;3(1):67–104.
2. Santhi N, Lazar AS, Mccabe PJ, Lo JC, Groeger JA, Dijk D. Sex differences in the
circadian regulation of sleep and waking cognition in humans. 2016
3. Mallampalli MP, Carter CL. Exploring sex and gender differences in sleep health: A society for women’s health research report. J Women’s Heal. 2014;23(7):553–62.
4. ASA American Sleep Association. What is Sleep and Why is It Important?
5. Sleep Foundation | Trusted Sleep Health Information and Product Reviews. Sleepfoundation.org. (2022). Retrieved 3 April 2022, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/.