Sleep is a very important and often overlooked aspect of maintaining overall health.
When we look at health in general there are certainly many factors that come to mind as being more important to fix or improve before considering sleep.
Diet, exercise, stress, genetic and environmental factors tend to gain more attention than something as simple as the subject of sleep.
However, relatively recent scientific studies have made some convincing conclusions supporting the fact that sleep quality and quantity is just as important if not more so than issues such as weight control, stress management and exercise.
The quality and quantity of sleep are critical to overall health.
The amount of sleep needed is different for different ages and conditions.
According to the MAYO Clinic, adults function best with between 7-9 hours of sleep per night...
children between 9-10 hours, and babies and toddlers at about 14-15 hours.
Conditions such as pregnancy also change the amount of sleep needed to ensure health.
The quality of our sleep appears to be just as important as the amount of sleep we get.
If we are unable to achieve progression through the sleep cycles through deep sleep, the result appears to be similar to not having enough sleep.
Studies indicate that not getting enough quality sleep can lead to significant health concerns.
Similar to overexertion and constant stress, inadequate sleep can cause hormonal imbalances in the body creating an overload on the sympathetic nervous system.
This overload taxes our adrenaline which then leads to a crash the following day with fatigue setting in.
To compound things then we race for caffeine related help in the form of coffee, teas, sodas and most recently energy drinks designed to help us get through the day and in doing so spiking our already taxed adrenaline glands to respond once again.
This becomes a vicious cycle of inadequate rest and artificial stimulants that over time and coupled with other lifestyle imbalances can contribute to weight gain, irritability, diabetes and heart conditions.
As with other health related subjects such as exercise and diet, sleep ultimately becomes a choice.
This choice as with other choices has to be given thought as to the priority placed on it.
Certain professions such as emergency healthcare and aviation mandate limiting work schedules per week in order to better ensure a time for rest and sleep for the safety and production of those professionals and those they serve.
Yet unfortunately is ultimately up to us individually to choose to get enough quality sleep per night in order to maintain health and function.
Similar to running a car at top throttle RPM's, sooner or later we face warning signs such as headaches and chronic fatigue that if left unaccounted for can lead to bigger health issues down the road.
In society today it seems we have grown up with a mindset that there is just not enough hours in the day to accomplish what we need to accomplish.
Duel income working families, rising daycare populations and increasing academic demands have lead to a decrease in disposable or optional time left in the day for "life" for all ages.
Moreover, generations have grown up in this hectic schedule of survival and the choice of time for rest or sleep has become increasingly replaced by a need to either work or be entertained.
Consequently, we have seen a significant increase in health related conditions compared to that of 40 or 50 years ago.
So slow down everyone! Your health and wellness...
and life depend on it.
Best Wishes.
When we look at health in general there are certainly many factors that come to mind as being more important to fix or improve before considering sleep.
Diet, exercise, stress, genetic and environmental factors tend to gain more attention than something as simple as the subject of sleep.
However, relatively recent scientific studies have made some convincing conclusions supporting the fact that sleep quality and quantity is just as important if not more so than issues such as weight control, stress management and exercise.
The quality and quantity of sleep are critical to overall health.
The amount of sleep needed is different for different ages and conditions.
According to the MAYO Clinic, adults function best with between 7-9 hours of sleep per night...
children between 9-10 hours, and babies and toddlers at about 14-15 hours.
Conditions such as pregnancy also change the amount of sleep needed to ensure health.
The quality of our sleep appears to be just as important as the amount of sleep we get.
If we are unable to achieve progression through the sleep cycles through deep sleep, the result appears to be similar to not having enough sleep.
Studies indicate that not getting enough quality sleep can lead to significant health concerns.
Similar to overexertion and constant stress, inadequate sleep can cause hormonal imbalances in the body creating an overload on the sympathetic nervous system.
This overload taxes our adrenaline which then leads to a crash the following day with fatigue setting in.
To compound things then we race for caffeine related help in the form of coffee, teas, sodas and most recently energy drinks designed to help us get through the day and in doing so spiking our already taxed adrenaline glands to respond once again.
This becomes a vicious cycle of inadequate rest and artificial stimulants that over time and coupled with other lifestyle imbalances can contribute to weight gain, irritability, diabetes and heart conditions.
As with other health related subjects such as exercise and diet, sleep ultimately becomes a choice.
This choice as with other choices has to be given thought as to the priority placed on it.
Certain professions such as emergency healthcare and aviation mandate limiting work schedules per week in order to better ensure a time for rest and sleep for the safety and production of those professionals and those they serve.
Yet unfortunately is ultimately up to us individually to choose to get enough quality sleep per night in order to maintain health and function.
Similar to running a car at top throttle RPM's, sooner or later we face warning signs such as headaches and chronic fatigue that if left unaccounted for can lead to bigger health issues down the road.
In society today it seems we have grown up with a mindset that there is just not enough hours in the day to accomplish what we need to accomplish.
Duel income working families, rising daycare populations and increasing academic demands have lead to a decrease in disposable or optional time left in the day for "life" for all ages.
Moreover, generations have grown up in this hectic schedule of survival and the choice of time for rest or sleep has become increasingly replaced by a need to either work or be entertained.
Consequently, we have seen a significant increase in health related conditions compared to that of 40 or 50 years ago.
So slow down everyone! Your health and wellness...
and life depend on it.
Best Wishes.
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