The Importance of Sleep
If you’re not getting enough sleep, your health suffers. Sleep deprivation causes a host of problems, from a higher risk of cardiovascular issues to a weakened immune system. It impacts how well you think and feel and can even affect your mood. There’s a lot to know about how and why you need sleep, but modern medicine’s understanding of it is like a partially assembled jigsaw puzzle: experts can identify the pieces, but they haven’t figured out how it all fits together.
During sleep, your body is doing many vital things that make you healthy. It is involved in growth and repair of cells and tissues, in boosting the body’s ability to heal after exercise or illness and in helping to clear the brain of waste products. It also supports normal memory function and is important for the regulation of emotions, including stress. In addition, sleep appears to be critical to both physical and mental development in babies, children and adults.
It is not uncommon for people who are having difficulty sleeping to report feeling irritable, tired and depressed. This is because the brain, muscles and nervous system are active during sleep and can be affected by a range of factors, such as poor nutrition, caffeine consumption, medications, depression and anxiety, and alcohol.
How much sleep you need is very personal and can vary from person to person, but generally speaking, most healthy adults need between six and nine hours of sleep per night. If you’re having difficulty sleeping, talk to your doctor or a sleep specialist.
There are a number of reasons you may have trouble sleeping. Often these can be resolved, or at least improved, with lifestyle changes. But some people need additional treatment and support, including prescription medication or a device to aid with breathing and to help with sleeping, or both.
Sleep can be disrupted by a variety of factors, including pain, illness and emotional upset. Stress, whether it’s from work or home life or a chronic illness, can affect sleep by increasing the body’s arousal level and making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Sleep seems to be a natural, essential part of the human body’s functioning and needs. It is a time for rest and recovery, but it’s also something that should be taken seriously in healthcare, education and family life and by society at large. If you’re having trouble sleeping, there are many steps you can take to improve your condition and get a better night’s rest. But remember: if the problem persists, it’s best to speak to your doctor or a sleep specialist for advice. They can help you develop a treatment plan and recommend tests, if necessary. The good news is that there are many solutions, from medication to behavioural changes and devices. For example, a simple act such as taking a short nap (known as a siesta in Spanish-speaking countries or inemuri in Japan) can significantly improve your quality of life and increase energy levels throughout the day.