Sleep deprivation is becoming more common each day in our generally stressed out society. Almost one third of the working population suffers this ordeal where nine out of ten of these people would want to sleep longer in the morning given the chance. Ten percent of these people get too little sleep on a constant basis where half is due to disturbances e.g noise or children and the other half due to problems of falling asleep. It is more common in women than in men.
The recommended amount of sleep per day is six to nine hours with adults averaging at eight and a half hours when allowed to nap for as long as the body demands. Forty percent of the population use herbal or other kinds of medicine once a week at least as result of sleeping problems. When you are asleep there are several stages that are involved; drowsiness, light sleeping, deep sleeping and dream sleeping in that order.
When a person is not sleeping for the required amount of hours it causes some negative effects. Having this problem for too long can bring about depression and cardiovascular diseases. Immune defense is lowered and a person becomes highly pain sensitive worsening pain diseases like fibromyalgia and arthritis. It also causes blood pressure to rise. When a person is asleep blood pressure reduces.
Satisfaction and hunger are regulated when asleep. Less sleep reduces leptine a hormone that makes a person feel sated. More ghrelin the hunger hormone is also produced. This creates a connection between not sleeping well and obesity. The body is also not able to deal properly with free radicals that increase cancer risk and are also a factor in cell aging.
When sleeping problems are experienced for a prolonged period of time, they contribute to lowering quality of life quite a lot. There are short term effects like reduced ability to create a plan and carry out an activity, difficulty concentrating, short term memory deterioration and mood swings. There are long term effects too like exhaustion, early aging, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases, infections, obesity and increased risk of diabetes.
Difficulty falling asleep, feeling of not getting enough sleep or awakening frequently during the night is defined as insomnia. Acute and chronic insomnia are different because chronic means it has lasted for more than 3 weeks whereas acute means it has lasted less than 3 weeks. For instance when death of a family member occurs its often characterized with acute insomnia.
Often insomnia is not an illness rather a symptom of others for instance psychological conditions like anxiety, substance abuse or depression. It can also be caused by hormonal changes as a result of menopause or pregnancy, medication or pain, changed sleeping habits or stress. Taking short naps during the day can effectively cure your tiredness. Fifteen minutes in the middle of the day are more rejuvenating than last 2 or 3 hours at night.
Another way to reduce sleep deprivation is to stop smoking and consuming alcohol. Stress can also bring difficulty sleeping hence avoiding stressors helps quite a bit. Any evening obligations should be avoided and learn to be sleeping early. Doing some physical activities daily also helps then make sure you eat till your full, take a warm bath an hour before sleeping and make a conducive environment for sleeping.
The recommended amount of sleep per day is six to nine hours with adults averaging at eight and a half hours when allowed to nap for as long as the body demands. Forty percent of the population use herbal or other kinds of medicine once a week at least as result of sleeping problems. When you are asleep there are several stages that are involved; drowsiness, light sleeping, deep sleeping and dream sleeping in that order.
When a person is not sleeping for the required amount of hours it causes some negative effects. Having this problem for too long can bring about depression and cardiovascular diseases. Immune defense is lowered and a person becomes highly pain sensitive worsening pain diseases like fibromyalgia and arthritis. It also causes blood pressure to rise. When a person is asleep blood pressure reduces.
Satisfaction and hunger are regulated when asleep. Less sleep reduces leptine a hormone that makes a person feel sated. More ghrelin the hunger hormone is also produced. This creates a connection between not sleeping well and obesity. The body is also not able to deal properly with free radicals that increase cancer risk and are also a factor in cell aging.
When sleeping problems are experienced for a prolonged period of time, they contribute to lowering quality of life quite a lot. There are short term effects like reduced ability to create a plan and carry out an activity, difficulty concentrating, short term memory deterioration and mood swings. There are long term effects too like exhaustion, early aging, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases, infections, obesity and increased risk of diabetes.
Difficulty falling asleep, feeling of not getting enough sleep or awakening frequently during the night is defined as insomnia. Acute and chronic insomnia are different because chronic means it has lasted for more than 3 weeks whereas acute means it has lasted less than 3 weeks. For instance when death of a family member occurs its often characterized with acute insomnia.
Often insomnia is not an illness rather a symptom of others for instance psychological conditions like anxiety, substance abuse or depression. It can also be caused by hormonal changes as a result of menopause or pregnancy, medication or pain, changed sleeping habits or stress. Taking short naps during the day can effectively cure your tiredness. Fifteen minutes in the middle of the day are more rejuvenating than last 2 or 3 hours at night.
Another way to reduce sleep deprivation is to stop smoking and consuming alcohol. Stress can also bring difficulty sleeping hence avoiding stressors helps quite a bit. Any evening obligations should be avoided and learn to be sleeping early. Doing some physical activities daily also helps then make sure you eat till your full, take a warm bath an hour before sleeping and make a conducive environment for sleeping.
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