Are you getting enough sleep?
In the story Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving. Rip dozes off after bowling with some elf-like folks. He sleeps for 20 years and wakes up an old man. In real-life, just the opposite happens. When we sleep, we grow younger and wake up refreshed.
Unfortunately, people are getting less sleep than ever before. And America is paying a price for having a nation of sleep-deprived insomniacs. Not only does lack of sleep increase the risk of car crashes and accidents, it temporarily lowers I.Q. and reduces performance.
Even missing a few hours of sleep can affect your health for the worse, say researchers at Pennsylvania State University. They discovered that losing two hours of sleep a night for a week raised the levels of inflammatory proteins in the body.
Chronic inflammation has been associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and diabetes. If you do miss sleep, take a “power” nap less than an hour – to help refresh your body and brain.
But a good eight hours of sleep each night is your best bet.
New research suggests that missing your 40 winks can even take years off your life. Lack of sleep has been linked to insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.
Untreated sleep disorders like sleep apnea, a condition in which the sleeper stops breathing temporarily, have also been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.
When you sleep better, you feel better, and all those things we associate with youth –appearance, energy and attitude – will ultimately improve as advised by the associate director of the Sleep and Aging Research Program at the University of Washington in Seattle. Sleep maximizes the quality of our lives. It’s also the time when we repair ourselves. As we dream, our body secretes its highest amounts of human growth hormone – a substance that keeps us young and vital.
Studies also show a connection between sleep and immune system. Sleep-deprived people have less killer cell that keeps the body healthy and infection free.
Unfortunately, as we age our sleep patterns change, making it harder to get a good night’s rest.
Sleeping pills will knock you out, but you’ll wake feeling tired and groggy. Prescription drugs also run the risk of side effects and addiction.