Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Sleep is fundamental…

February 28, 2011 by  

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( Lately, I’ve encountered numerous requests form people asking for “something to help me sleep”. This made me take a closer look, and I realized how many of us are not getting enough sleep.



Every creature needs to rest. Giraffes, little babies, elephants, dogs, cats, kids, grandparents, moms, dads, and lions in the jungle – they all sleep! Just like eating, sleep is necessary for survival.

Sleep gives your body a rest and allows it to prepare for the next day. It’s like giving your body a mini-vacation. Sleep also gives your brain a chance to sort things out. Scientists aren’t exactly sure what kinds of organizing your brain does while you sleep, but they think that sleep may be the time  when the brain sorts and stores information, replaces chemicals, and solves problems.


Skipping one night’s sleep makes a person cranky and clumsy. After missing two nights of sleep, a person will have problems thinking and doing things; his or her brain and body can’t do their normal tasks nearly as well. After five nights without sleep, a person will hallucinate (this means seeing things that aren’t actually there). Eventually, it becomes impossible for the brain to give its directions to the rest of the body without sleep – the brain needs to spend time in bed and catch its ZZZs!



Human beings can function without a full tune-up, but they will be in a state of sleep deprivation and won’t be able to work or to think as well as they do when they are fully rested. It’s like an engine that gets only four out of eight spark plugs replaced and then runs sluggishly.


Scientists have proposed the following theories on why humans require sleep:

•      Sleep may be a way of recharging the brain. The brain has a chance to shut down and repair neurons and to exercise important connections of neurons that might otherwise deteriorate due to lack of activity.


•      Sleep lowers a person’s metabolic rate and energy consumption.





Oh yeah, and don’t think that just because you’re a “tea-toddler”, you’re safe behind the wheel of a car. In fact, you can be more dangerous than a drunk driver.  Lack of sleep or sleep deprivation can cause similar effects to those of alcohol. These include symptoms such as blurred vision, poor balance and decreased concentration. Thousands of accidents occur each year from lack of sleep – costing millions of pounds and loss life. The main dangers are when driving or operating potentially hazardous machinery.

Just recently, two commercial pilots were suspended for falling asleep at the cockpit and missing their landing! Can you imagine how many lives could have been lost? The dangers of lack of sleep are very real. One pilot later confirmed that he suffered from sleep apnea – a sleep disorder causing the sufferer to wake frequently without breath.

Without proper sleep we can’t operate at optimum level; we feel sluggish, tired, irritable and drowsy. But there are other more serious problems that lack of sleep can cause. Long-term sleeplessness increases the risk of psychological disorders and disease and potentially life threatening conditions. These include obesity, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes, psychosis and hypertension.




Take good care of yourself and live the best life possible.

This column is not intended to replace the medical advice or treatment from a qualified health professional.

Written By Glenn Ellis

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