If you are told to make a list of those things you have missing upon in life, then I am sure that lack of sleep would be surely one of those. And if we would compare withothers in question, then also lack of sleep would be something almost all of us would be missing upon. I am sure; every day when you would get up in the morning, you would get up with a desire in mind and mostly expressed that if I could sleep some more hours.

In a busy life like todays, every one is running for something or the other and the thing we miss because of this constant pressure is sleep. If you think you should feel guilty about your sleep, then I think you should not. Insufficient sleep causes a lot of problems to you. They not only lead to mental fatigue, stress and irritability but they also sap away your energy and can even make you preys to obesity, hypertension and even the deadly cancer.

A human body needs   7-8 hours sleep everyday.

A study shows that if sleep is disturbed then the two hormones melatonin and cortisol get affected. These two hormones are known to have been powerful influencers to the cancer cells.

Since lack of sleep hinders the production of melatonin hormone. Produced by the brain during sleep, melatonin is rich antioxidant properties that help prevent damage to cells that can lead to cancer. Melatonin also lowers estrogen production from the ovaries. And this may expose women to high levels of estrogen and may increase the risk of breast cancer. Another vital hormone that gets disturbed because of the lack of sleep is cortisol it regulates the immune system activity, including the release of certain natural killer cells that may help the body fight against cancer

A tip:
Studies have shown that a 20 minute sleep in the afternoon increases your productivity. So, take a power nap to jump start in the middle of the day.
So, to lead a healthy life, do not miss upon your sleep. Sleep is quite an essential for you and even if you are working hard. Don’t forget health is wealth.

Tags: cancer, disturbance, cortisol and melatonin hormones

Every living creature sleeps. Everyone also dreams. But have you ever thought deep on sleep. Have you ever watched someone sleeping and had wondered what he may be dreaming? Slow breathing, and eyes occasionally fluttering, are the pictures of peace and stillness. But, appearances can be deceiving. During the sleep, there’s a lot more going on than meeting the eyes. The sleep is also an active process, which could make the brain remarkably active, even if the body stays immobile.

What’s Going On While Sleeping?
Many facts about sleep remains mysterious, but experts divide it into two categories, based on observations of sleeping persons and recordings of the brain’s electrical activity while sleeping:

Non-REM sleep– Divided into four stages, with Stage 1 the lightest and Stage 4 the deepest.

Rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep - During REM sleep, dreaming is common, muscles are inactive, and electrical activity in the brain is similar to that of an awake person. The blood pressure and heart and breathing rates do increase for short periods of time as in wakefulness.

Why Do We Sleep?
The function of sleep is still a mystery, but scientists believe that REM sleep is important for solidifying memories, and perhaps for even more critical functions. Many theories about sleep do try to explain its role or roles. Some scientists point out that sleep is evolution’s way of improving survival by preventing animals from preying on each other 24 hours a day.

Consequence of Sleep Deprivation
A clear definition of normal sleep is impossible as different people seem to need different amounts. However, duration of sleep is not the only thing that matters, the quality of sleep also matters.

Too little or poor-quality sleep do result in a number of problems, including difficulty with short-term memory, concentration, depression, anxiety, irritability, poor energy and reduced libido, clearly stating how important sleep is in one’s life.

Bookmark It

 Del.icio.us    digg  
 Facebook    Google Bookmarks    Stumble It    Technorati    Yahoo! My Web  
Hide Sites Tags: Sleep, facts, eyes, scientists, Body, Animals, brain, dream, eye muscles, memories, fluttering