The Secret To Restoring Sleep. Part 1 - The Quality Of Life

We spend a third of our lives sleeping to recover and start an active life in the morning. A person cannot live without sleep. How to make your vacation complete?

Why do we need sleep?

Sleep is essential for our cognitive processes, mental and physical health. Research has proven that people who don't sleep enough are less productive and creative. They are also prone to deviant and immoral behavior, since their excitement process prevails over the inhibition process.

Aircrew members on long flights tend to suffer from jet lag, including cognitive and memory impairments. They are also more at risk for cancer and diabetes.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), one in five serious road traffic injuries are associated with driver fatigue. People who spend 17-19 hours without sleep while driving are worse at driving than those who are 0.05% over the allowed alcohol limit.

The lack of sleep that builds up over time is more detrimental to health than complete sleep deprivation

Recent research suggests that long-term sleep restriction of six hours or less can lead to cognitive impairments similar to those that occur with two nights without sleep. But unlike the situation of complete sleep deprivation, people are unaware of the increased risk of disturbances that can lead to progressive insomnia and subsequently - to a state of anxiety and fever.

Taking an example from the Olympic champions

Every third person suffers from insomnia in the modern world

Unhealthy sleep habits, depression and anxiety usually lead to it. Pain, respiratory illness, certain medications, and alcohol and drug abuse can also disrupt sleep.

The main causes of short-term insomnia, the most common form of sleep disorder, are stressful situations in life, an unfavorable sleeping environment and a lack of a clear schedule.

Sleep is essential to support brain function and greatly improves the ability to learn and remember

During rest, memories are sorted out, useful are strengthened and useless are discarded. It also strengthens the procedural memory, which is responsible for the algorithm for performing actions.

Olympic champions know that sleep is as important as proper nutrition and exercise, and they sleep eight hours a night, and many try to doze off during the day

In addition to improving memory, sleep enhances cognitive function and the ability to manage mood. That is why it is sometimes important for us to “sleep with this thought” and “sleep it off” after stress.

Sadness from insomnia

Scientists conducted an experiment, deciding to study how people feel when they do not get enough sleep. Participants who slept four to five hours a night for a week experienced feelings of sadness, anger, and more stress and fatigue. When subjects resumed normal sleep for seven to eight hours a night, they experienced a significant improvement in mood.

For people with mental health conditions such as depression and bipolar disorder, prolonged sleep is both a prevention of relapse and a major role in recovery

In terms of physical health, improvements in adequate sleep include decreased hunger and weight gain, decreased susceptibility to viral infections, risk of heart attacks, dementia, and increased life expectancy.

Sleep helps us look younger and more attractive. It is especially worth paying attention to the so-called beauty sleep (sleep until midnight), which helps to improve the appearance

REM sleep secrets

So what is the secret to invigorating sleep? During the night, the brain cycles through four stages, the last of which, REM sleep, is the most important for humans. Each of the stages lasts an average of 90 minutes, before natural awakening, the REM sleep phase lasts longer than usual. Waking up after this phase gives a feeling of vigor.

Participants in the science experiment, who were awakened after the REM phase ended, performed better with tasks such as anagrams and topics that required creative reflection. And those who were awakened during deep sleep before this phase woke up feeling drowsy and discontent - as if they were getting up "on the wrong foot."

REM sleep is also associated with the dreaming period, during which important functions are performed: assimilating experiences, processing emotions, improving problem-solving ability and creativity. The brain may be more active during REM sleep than during wakefulness.

Many talented people have been inspired to create great works of art by dreaming

Suffice it to recall "The Persistence of Memory" by Salvador Dali, some poems and stories by Edgar Allan Poe and Paul McCartney's song Let It Be.

Unfortunately, when the alarm wakes us up before REM sleep, we wake up feeling lost and tired. And it is not for nothing that the old wise saying says: "One hour of sleep before midnight is worth two after."

To be continued

Read also:

• The science of sleep. 5 rules for falling asleep healthy
• If a teenager is an owl. How to negotiate with a biological clock
• Driven Horses, or Allow Yourself to Rest. About self-abuse

Author: Neel Burton, MD