Ana Maria 1. Sleep is important for survival and health, and it’s adaptable to people’s needs and circumstances.
2. Sleep is considered to be as important as diet and exercise. Speaking of exercise, studies show that regular exercise improves sleep quality and actually helps you fall asleep easier. But don’t exercise right before going to bed, because doing so will make falling asleep more difficult.
3. In general, the average adult needs a range of seven to nine hours of sleep. This, however, does not apply to everyone: some feel rested after less than seven hours of sleep, and some people feel tired and sleepy after more than nine hours of sleep.
4. Even though focusing on the number of hours spent in bed is a good start, the quality of sleep is just as important, because poor sleep quality can make you feel fatigued the next morning, regardless of how many hours you slept the night before.
5. Uninterrupted sleep helps you achieve the optimal amount of restorative sleep.
6. Research shows that the human body never properly adjusts to working in shifts, and, according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, shift workers are at increased risk for gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases.
7. According to the National Sleep Foundation, snoring is the primary cause of sleep disruption for approximately 90 million American adults, 37 million on a regular basis.
8. People who don’t get enough sleep experience fatigue, lack of energy, exhaustion, lack of concentration, decreased productivity and a tendency to become irritable.
9. Sleep deprived people have low leptin levels (leptin is a hormone that regulates our appetite) which causes an increase in appetite, resulting in greater levels of body fat gain.
10. Sleep disturbance becomes greater at altitudes of 13,200 feet or more. The disturbance is thought to be caused by diminished oxygen levels and accompanying changes in respiration. (source: National Sleep Foundation)
11. During sleep, there are five stages happening. Light sleep occurs during the first two stages, while deep sleep occurs during the third and fourth stages. The fifth and last stage that occurs is the rapid-eye movement sleep, which is also when the dreaming occurs.
12. The timing of our need for sleep is based on two things. The first is how long we have been awake. The second is our body clock. If we stay awake all night we will feel more tired at 4 am than at 10 am. (source: Sleep Health Foundation)
13. One of the main roles of sleep is helping solidify memories. As we sleep, pieces of the information our brains took in the entire day are transferred from short-term memory to stronger long-term memory. This process is called consolidation.
14. There are numerous studies regarding the benefits melatonin has on sleep, and while some believe that melatonin doesn’t benefit sleep in any way, others consider melatonin effective in falling asleep easier and also improving the quality of sleep.
15. Difficulty falling asleep is one of four symptoms associated with insomnia. The others include waking up frequently, waking up too early and not being able to fall back asleep and waking up feeling tired.
References
1. National Sleep Foundation – The Science of sleep, how sleep works – Myths and Facts About Sleep
2. National Sleep Foundation – How sleep works, sleep news, sleep tools & tips – 25 Random Facts About Sleep
3. PrecisionNutrition – Ryan Andrews, M.S., RD – All about sleep
4. SA Health – Sleep Facts and Hygiene
5. Sleep Health Foundation – Facts About Sleep
6. Sleep.org by the National Sleep Foundation – How is sleep quantity different than sleep quality?
