Healthy sleep is a guarantee of a person’s mental and physical health . Lack of sleep has become a fairly common problem these days. Stress, bad thoughts, background noise – all these negatively affect the quality of sleep. It is no coincidence that one of the ancient tortures is not to let a person sleep. This breaks the will of a person, he ceases to control himself and fulfills any conditions of the executioners. And during sleep, the nervous system is restored, and the person is again alert and collected.
Good sleep is the key to health
How much sleep to be collected, alert and productive? Ideally, a person’s sleep in adulthood should last 6-8 hours. Only geniuses, like Napoleon or Leonardo da Vinci, according to the legends, could sleep 1.5-2 hours a day. That was enough for them. But they are geniuses to be different from ordinary people. For everyone else, lack of sleep is extremely harmful, and does not increase productivity, but quite the opposite.
For a good sleep, not only quantity is important, but also quality. It is influenced by many factors: events during the day, watching TV, using a computer, the presence of extraneous noise and temperature in the room, and how you feel. It is difficult to fall asleep if something is bothering you, or if neighbors play music too loud.
You will sleep much better if you follow these helpful tips:
- Finish your work at the computer a few hours before going to bed;
- Take a warm bath with aromatic oils;
- Adjust the room temperature – it should be between 18-21 degrees;
- Try to exclude extraneous noise;
- Drink relaxing herbal teas to help relax your nervous system;
- Monitor the condition of the sleeping place, it should not cause discomfort.
The better you sleep, the more alert you will feel upon waking up, and the more productive your day will be.
What you need to know about human sleep
We sleep for about a third of our lives. Newborns sleep the longest – from 17 to 23 hours a day. Further, a person’s sleep is gradually shortened: for school-age children, the number of hours ranges from 8 to 12 hours, for 20-30-year-olds 5 hours may be enough . By the age of 60, sleep time increases again to 12-13 hours. However, everyone has their own rest regime.
A person’s sleep is divided into several phases:
- Slow. It takes about 90 minutes. During it, the body is relaxed and the brain is inactive.
- Fast. The fast phase lasts 10-20 minutes. The eyeballs move quickly. At this point, you may be dreaming of something.
The slow and fast phases in a healthy person alternate 5 times. During this time, you can see 4-6 dreams. It may seem that one plot lasts long enough, about 1.5 hours, but in fact the duration of a dream is no more than 1-2 minutes. A person remembers the plot if he wakes up during the fast phase. Dream plots are usually not related to each other. Dreams are a reflection of our experiences and sensations, which we are not always aware of while awake. If you want to find out what your dream means, refer to a special dream book. Do not be afraid if there is a bad event in your story, such as illness or death. If you are dreaming about this, you should not interpret the dream literally – your subconscious mind signals you about problems or difficulties in making decisions or something else. Special dream books will help to unravel the meaning of the plot.
For a long time it was believed that people with an unhealthy psyche see colored dreams. But today this statement has been refuted. Most likely, plots in color come to people whose life is full of vivid events, who have something to remember. So, for example, children see colored dreams, because every day for them is a time of discovery and new impressions. There are many more women who dream of colored dreams than men. And, of course, intellectuals can see plots in color due to the high development of the brain and the variety of impressions.
The importance of sleep time and proper regimen for human health
We have known for a long time that according to their lifestyle, people are divided into “larks” (those who prefer to go to bed early and get up early) and “owls” (those who like to sit longer at night and wake up later). Since the standard work schedule of firms and enterprises (from 9 to 18 or from 10 to 19) assumes a fairly early awakening, the “owls” do not get enough sleep. This leads to fatigue and irritability. Therefore, a few simple time management guidelines will help them:
- Try to go to bed no later than 23:00;
- Prepare the necessary things in the evening – this will make it easier to pack in the morning;
- Taking a contrast shower or doing exercises – it’s easier to wake up this way;
- Control how long it takes you to complete daily tasks;
- Try not to put things off until the evening. Even if you are active in the evenings, be aware of the negative consequences of not getting enough sleep.
Should an “owl” try to become a “lark” against his will? There is no definite answer. If you have a choice, and you can agree to adjust the schedule with the management, then there is nothing wrong with the “owl” mode. But if you are working on a clear schedule, then it is worth adjusting the sleep time and daily routine in favor of the “early”.
Prolonged lack of sleep leads to such adverse consequences as:
- Deterioration of memory and concentration;
- Decreased immunity;
- Excess weight;
- Decreased performance;
- Bad mood, irritability;
- Loss of motivation;
- Deterioration in appearance.
If you do not get enough sleep for years, then all of the above will lead to the appearance of serious diseases such as diabetes, depression or stroke. In short, insufficient rest inevitably leads to a deterioration in the quality of life.
Correct and high-quality sleep of a person is one of the most important components of success in life. How much sleep to be productive and collected depends on your biological rhythms. It is extremely wrong to think that lazy and weak people sleep a lot. You just need to learn how to fall asleep properly.
How to achieve this:
- Do not eat at night. Food can lead to frequent awakenings, especially if you have eaten a lot of sweets;
- Sleep with the account turned off. Bright light interferes with the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. This will make you feel better in the morning.
- Do not exercise. Your nervous system and muscles will become overexcited , and you will not be able to sleep for a long time. Therefore, leave the exercises in the morning, and in the evening, for example, do yoga.
Sleepy person feels not only better, but also happier. The correct daily routine and the absence of bad habits improves health and relationships with others.