It is not possible to include naps in the life of the average adult. It seems that this dream is useless and unrealizable. But many psychologists say the opposite. This not only helps the body to be overloaded during the day and reduces stress levels, but also develops our creative abilities as well as all kinds of courses.
Harvard University researcher Bill Anthony has been studying the phenomenon of napping for several decades. He came to the conclusion that this taking a break from work actually overloads the brain, restoring its cells. A siesta, or nap, helps improve memory and prepares the body for more effective absorption of information. Moreover, it increases significantly, which allows you to improve the quality of work and improve academic performance. It is probably for this reason that many great minds of mankind, from Archimedes to Hugo, practiced naps. Who knows: maybe this innovation will make you the most successful person in the world?
Typically, a person wants to sleep six hours after waking up. Historically, we begin to nod off and our eyelids begin to droop around lunchtime. And it’s not surprising, because after a hearty lunch you should get a good night’s sleep. By the way, when we try in every way to cheer ourselves up, we harm our body. Eastern philosophy confirms this: you need to listen to your body and give it everything it requires. Daytime naps are no exception. Listening to yourself is the secret to longevity and good health.
Wanting to sleep in the middle of the workday is not a sign of weakness and... When you realize that sleep is important for the mind and body, and do it when necessary, then you can call yourself a mature person. After all, you understand that you shouldn’t joke with your health. No one will take care of him like you. Not getting enough sleep can ultimately lead to depression or insomnia.
It is strange to see a person sleeping during the working day. Moreover, you can get a pretty serious reprimand for taking a nap during the day. However, for example, in China and Japan this is considered a necessary measure. In every office in the Middle East you can find a break room, which will definitely have sleeping places. They understand that in this way the staff will be higher than usual. You can benefit from everything, including an afternoon siesta.
If, however, conditions do not allow you to take a break for a nap, then there is a practice specifically for such workaholics. It will be enough to devote a few minutes to this within your workplace. Clear the space around you of any kind of technology, close your eyes and focus on some pleasant moment in your life. Feel your breath and how relaxed your body is. This is not exactly a dream, but it also has a positive effect on your body: this practice can also keep you calm.
During sleep, a person does not age, but the brain analyzes, sorts and “digests” the latest events that have occurred in our lives. It is thanks to this activity that we see dreams and can find in them answers to the questions that tormented us. Creative people often shared that the plots of their future books, poems, images of paintings, technical designs came to them in their dreams. Everyone knows the example of how D. Mendeleev dreamed of the periodic table of elements.
The influence of sleep on human life
The duration of sleep is individual for each person. For some, a couple of hours a day is enough to get enough sleep, while others feel exhausted if they get less than 8-9 hours of sleep. Napoleon believed that it was necessary to spend “four hours for a man, five for a woman, and six - only an idiot can sleep,” and Leonardo Da Vinci, in order to be available for new ideas at any time of the day, slept only 15 minutes every 3-4 hours. In contrast, Einstein set aside 12 hours a day for sleep.
One thing is undeniable: sleep is essential. Lack of sleep clearly affects a person’s life. Due to constant lack of sleep, the physical body becomes sluggish, the skin loses tone and elasticity, blue circles appear under the eyes, and chronic diseases worsen. Primary instincts can clearly manifest themselves - for example, you constantly want to eat. This is due to the fact that a person needs energy for life, and sleep, as one of its main sources, is selected. And the body is looking for other ways to replenish its strength.
With a lack of sleep, emotions of restlessness, suspiciousness, irritability, fear, anxiety appear, and obsessions are possible. The person loses a sense of reality and the ability to concentrate. In this state it can be controlled. It is necessary to treat sleep with care, adhering to a certain regime. After all, he is the protector of our health.
About dreams and their varieties
It is believed that those who go to bed before twelve at night retain youth and beauty much longer. Therefore, sleep before midnight is called the sleep of beauty, and after midnight - the sleep of health.
Sleep has its alternating phases of slow and fast sleep. During REM sleep, the brain processes information received during the day. During this phase, a person dreams and, if he is awakened, he will clearly talk about what he dreamed. Scientists say that everyone dreams, just not everyone remembers them.
In the middle of the last century, it was believed that normal people see black and white dreams, and those who are prone to schizophrenia or are on the verge of madness see colored dreams. But since over time, according to statistics, the percentage of people who see colored dreams has constantly increased, scientists had to change their point of view.
At the moment, according to some studies, there is a direct relationship between the ability to see and remember dreams and the development of intelligence. It is also generally accepted that everyone dreams in color, it’s just that for some they are not brightly colored. The more emotional a person is and the more active his lifestyle, the more vividly he dreams. You can also draw the opposite conclusion, if you have bright and colorful dreams, but it seems that nothing interesting is happening in life, you should look around and change your attitude towards what is happening.
It is believed that the dream of a person blind from birth consists of smells, sounds, tactile and taste sensations.
How to interpret your dream?
In ancient cultures, they believed that dreams were sent to humans by the gods, and only priests, shamans or oracles could decipher them. Scientific interest in dreams began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The impetus for it was the development of psychology, physiology and philosophy. The works of S. Freud became a real revolution in decoding dreams. His main support was that dreams are desires released, mainly sexual, that are suppressed by a person in real life. Even if in a dream a person saw a vase of flowers or a child walking along the road, the professor’s interpretation still had sexual overtones.
Should you take your dreams seriously? Should we believe the dream books or Talmuds of S. Freud? Most likely, the best interpreter of your dream can be the one who dreamed it. When deciphering the information received, it is worth relying not only on the symbolic images that a person saw in a dream, but also on what he was thinking about the day before, what experiences and events preceded the dream in his real life. Is the dream caused by stress? It is also worth paying attention to external factors, because, for example, a person may have nightmares due to the fact that he sleeps in a poorly ventilated room, i.e. feels physical discomfort.
According to statistics, there are a number of dreams that all people see without exception: teeth falling out, falling from a height, flying, failing exams, death of a person, persecution, situations at school or at work, etc.
It is also believed that in a dream a person more often experiences negative emotions (feelings of anxiety, fear, etc.) than positive ones. Although, perhaps, as in real life, positive, easy emotions require more effort and skill to maintain than those that are uncomfortable and painful.
Lack of sleep, constant sleep deprivation and lack of a good night's rest have become a problem for humanity that has a devastating effect on health.
After all, the human body is able to test its condition, restore itself and eliminate existing problems only during sleep, when energy is spent not on mental activity, movement, increased work of organs, digestion of unhealthy food, but on self-preservation.
Lack of sleep - consequences, effects on the body
This problem arises most often due to our connivance, because it is more interesting to spend the night on the computer playing games or looking for entertainment than to give yourself time to rest from pressing matters. Often, poor falling asleep or lack of sleep is associated with stress, active physical or mental stress before bedtime, painful conditions, and it accompanies the life of people in old age.
There are many reasons for chronic lack of sleep. The subtle difference between getting enough sleep and not getting enough sleep can affect not only your well-being, but your overall health, weight, and even your sex life. Here are the arguments of scientists that you shouldn’t argue with, and several reasons why you should go to bed early today.
The dangers of lack of sleep
American scientists conducted an experiment - the test group of people had their sleep reduced by several hours - they slept from 2 o'clock to 6 am. As a result, they began to look much older in appearance, their skin became wrinkled, their pores enlarged, dark circles appeared under their eyes, and redness appeared. People felt fatigue, weakness, foggy consciousness, increasing irritability, and began to eat a lot of sweets. Do you know this too, friends?
Studies have confirmed the connection between the number of hours of sleep and the risk of developing serious pathologies such as stroke, diabetes, and obesity. Chronic lack of sleep contributes to the appearance in the body of substances that cause inflammatory processes in the walls of blood vessels, which lead to atherosclerosis with strokes, heart disease, and heart attacks.
Sleep researchers have found that the body's immune system is weakened by up to 70 percent if one goes without sleep for at least four hours at night. Even one night of sleeplessness can weaken the body's natural immunity and lead to the symptoms shown in the picture.
Nervous disorders
If a person is sleepy, then everything irritates him - everyone knows this. And a drop in mood is not all. Not getting enough sleep affects your ability to control your emotions. This is caused by an increase in the blood level of the stress hormone cortisol, which leads a person to a state of depression and the development of diabetes. This can make life difficult, so it's best to get some sleep.
Chronic sleep deprivation has a negative impact on decision-making skills, cognitive abilities and attention. Studies have shown that sleep-deprived people are slower in solving math or logic problems. Forgetfulness, memory lapses, and absent-mindedness increase - when we sleep, the brain processes and combines memories from the whole day. This process can be disrupted by lack of sleep.
Lack of sleep is the cause of excess weight
Don't want to gain weight, or, on the contrary, want to lose a few kilograms? You need to sleep more and be sure to eat small portions and on time. Excess fat on the body arises from a prosaic reason, when there is neither the energy nor the time to prepare a healthy dinner and irregular meals.
The second reason is physiological. A person who does not get enough sleep drops the level of leptin, a substance responsible for feeling full, so they begin to eat a lot and uncontrollably. People who go to bed earlier eat less food and calories than night owls.
And cortisol, which is formed during lack of sleep, reduces muscle tissue, while simultaneously increasing fat tissue many times over.
Lack of sleep contributes to the development of cancer
Night shift work is recognized as a potential carcinogen. This occurs due to a disruption in the production of melatonin in the body. Melatonin, colloquially called the night hormone, is synthesized by the pineal gland after dark and at night. It is an antioxidant that reduces estrogen levels.
Japanese researchers who studied the effect of sleep on the risk of various diseases examined more than 23 thousand women. Those who slept six hours or less were at higher risk of developing breast tumors, compared with women who slept more than seven hours. Scientists explain this by a lack of melatonin, which is produced by the body only at night. And the life expectancy of a sleep-deprived person is significantly reduced!
The harmful effects of lack of sleep on sexuality
When a survey was conducted on this topic, 26 percent of respondents claimed that their sex life was unsatisfying because they were simply too tired. US sexologists studied 171 women who rarely had sex precisely because of fatigue and lack of sleep.
After women began to sleep longer, their sexual activity increased by 14 percent, because sleep increases the secretion of testosterone, and this hormone for both men and women is an important aspect of libido. More sleep means better sex. And male lack of sleep leads to impotence, as the level of male hormones - androgens - decreases.
The issue is covered more fully in an interesting animated film about the consequences of insufficient sleep.
Lack of sleep has such a devastating effect on our emotional state and health. Therefore, my friends, go to bed on time - no later than 11 pm. After all, Mother Nature created the law of health for all living beings: fall asleep when the sun sets and wake up when it rises.
Sleep should last at least 8 and no longer than 10 hours in a ventilated bedroom, on a bed and a medium-hard pillow with bedding made from breathable natural fabrics.
To fall asleep well and have a healthy sleep, listen to special relaxing meditative music and always be in a great mood.
Remember - the better you sleep, the healthier and longer you will live!
If you've ever had a bad night's sleep, you already know how you'll feel the next day—tired, irritable, and sleepy. The long-term effects of sleep deprivation are real. They drain your mental capacity and put your physical health at real risk. Science has linked lack of sleep to all sorts of health problems, from weight gain to a weakened immune system.
Let's look at some of them in more detail.
The effect of lack of sleep on the body
Your body needs to sleep. During sleep, your body heals itself and restores its chemical balance. Your brain makes new connections and helps retain memories. Without adequate sleep, the brain and body systems will not function normally. It can also significantly reduce quality of life. A review of 16 studies found that sleeping less than 6 to 8 hours a night increased the risk of early death by about 12 percent. Obvious signs of sleep deprivation include:
- excessive sleepiness;
- yawn;
- irritability;
- daytime fatigue.
Using stimulants like caffeine is not enough to replace your body's deep need for sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation can affect your body's internal systems and cause more problems than those listed above. Read on to learn exactly how sleep deprivation affects certain body functions and systems.
central nervous system
Your central nervous system is your body's information highway. Sleep is essential for the nervous system to function properly, but chronic insomnia can interfere with the transmission of information. During sleep, your brain develops new pathways between nerve cells (neurons) that help you remember new information you learn. Sleep deprivation depletes the brain so that it cannot perform its duties. You may also have a harder time concentrating or remembering new things. Signals sent by your body may also be delayed, reducing your coordination skills and increasing your risks for accidents. Lack of sleep also negatively affects your mental abilities and emotional well-being. You may feel more irritable or prone to mood swings, compromising your rational decision-making processes. If the lack of sleep continues long enough, you may experience hallucinations: -You may begin to see or hear things that are not there. Lack of sleep can also cause mania in people with manic depression. Other psychological risks include:
- impulsive behavior;
- depression;
- paranoia;
- suicidal thoughts.
During the day, you may fall into a state of microsleep. During these states, you fall asleep for a few seconds or minutes without realizing it. Microsleep is beyond your control and can be extremely dangerous if you are driving.
The immune system
While you sleep, your immune system produces protective substances such as cytokines. The body uses these substances to fight bacteria and viruses. Cytokines also help you sleep by giving your immune system more energy to protect your body from illness. Sleep deprivation prevents your immune system from building its strength. If you don't get enough sleep, your body will have a much harder time fighting off the infection. It may take longer to recover from the illness. Long-term sleep deprivation also increases the risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
Respiratory system
The connection between sleep and the respiratory system goes both ways. A nocturnal breathing disorder called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can interrupt your sleep and reduce the quality of your sleep. Sleep deprivation can worsen existing respiratory conditions such as chronic lung disease.
Digestive system
Along with eating too much and not exercising, sleep deprivation is another risk factor for overweight and obesity. Sleep affects levels of two hormones, leptin and ghrelin, which control hunger and satiety. Leptin tells your brain that you are full. Without enough sleep, your brain decreases leptin and increases ghrelin, which is an appetite stimulant. The flow of these hormones explains the desire to snack at night or why someone might overeat at night. Lack of sleep can also contribute to weight gain by making you feel overly tired and reluctant to work harder than before. Sleep deprivation also causes your body to release higher levels of insulin after eating. Insulin controls blood sugar levels. Higher insulin levels promote fat storage and increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The cardiovascular system
Sleep affects processes that keep the heart and blood vessels healthy, including blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It also plays a vital role in your body's ability to heal and repair your blood vessels and heart. People who don't get enough sleep are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. One analysis published in the European Journal of Preventive Oncology linked insomnia to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Endocrine system
The production of hormones depends on your sleep. To produce testosterone, you need at least three hours of uninterrupted sleep, which is about your REM sleep stage for the entire night. Waking up during the night can affect hormone production. Interrupted sleep can also affect growth hormone production, especially in children and teenagers. These hormones help build muscle mass and repair cells and tissues. The pituitary gland releases growth hormone continuously, but sleep and exercise are better at inducing the release of this hormone.
Appearance
Sleep and appearance influence each other. Only during sleep and only in a dark room does the body produce the hormone melatonin, which renews the body at the cellular level. This hormone is used by the body during the day and is produced again during the next sleep - which is why it is so important to sleep every day.
On the other hand, with a lack of sleep, another hormone is produced - cortisol, which has many negative effects on the body. These include slowing down the formation of collagen fibers, which has a bad effect on skin elasticity.
First of all, it should be noted that there must be balance in everything, that is, wakefulness must be balanced by enough sleep and vice versa, so that a person can feel rested. When this balance is disturbed, problems of various types immediately appear, such as insomnia, high irritability or laziness, as well as problems directly related to health. Based on these facts, it can be argued that both lack of sleep and very long sleep are equally harmful to the human body.Benefits of long sleep
Long sleep can be beneficial in cases that depend on the physical and moral state of a person. For example, with overwork, daily heavy physical activity and lack of opportunity to get a good night's sleep. In this case, a lack of sleep accumulates in the body, all human resources are depleted at a certain point and in order to fully recover, a person will need more time to rest.In cases where a person is too exhausted, sleep can last a day. A sick person will need the same amount of time to regain his strength.
The harm of long sleep
The harm of long sleep is based on overwork, into which a person plunges when there is an excess of the sleep hormone. With excessively long sleep, the body begins to get tired, and as a result, it does not regain strength, but loses it. Long sleep also destroys the internal course of the biological clock, and therefore, to a certain extent, restructures the functioning of the body. As a result, the level of laziness and reluctance to do something increases. The result can be severe stress and a high risk of depression.Often, long sleep serves as a conscious escape from problems, that is, “I’m sleeping, which means I don’t see anything, I don’t solve anything.” This is the basis for many, the emergence of new and strengthening of old complexes. As for physical health, prolonged sleep can lead to an increase in migraines, stagnation of blood in the vessels, high blood pressure, and swelling of varying degrees.
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