Sleep is God’s blessing and its value and secrets are yet to be fully discovered. However, many studies in the past tend to focus on some scientific facts that are tied to the sleep.
In the developed countries, the moderate hours of sleep begin to reduce day by day. It is estimated 7.5 hours daily compared to 9 hours in the year 1910. This situation is really disturbing the scientists who are calling upon the humanity to recognize the importance of sleep now than ever before. Although, they emphasized that culture of short sleep period could also be maintained if it is well practiced.
Although, a survey carried out in March 1995 has shown that 12 percent of the people has difficulty in sleeping daily, and that half of the American adults suffers sleeping disorder at least once in a week. It also shows that 27 percent of them do take medications to aid their sleep, and that 37 percent admitted that their sleeping problem has negative effect on their daily activities.
A package of nerves that goes into the brains which is called Circadian Timing System controls the sleep, and it pumps a chemical substance that influences sleep which is called Melatonin. This hormone is that which regulates the sleeping time and the time to wake up. The Switzerland scientists have unanimously agreed that with every individual a Biological Clock of which if a person wakes up before that clock, his sleep will be incomplete. This was also proven by studies that were conducted on a group of school students which show that sleeping hormone will keep releasing until the time for the school commencement. It was also discovered that one forth of those who drive fall asleep on their steering every year.
Sleep cycle is 90 minutes
Sleep cycle moves through two main levels:
The first level is called Non-Rapid Eye System, and this is classified into three stages: the first stage is called Transitional sleep, the second one is Light sleep and in these two stages the body is completely down likewise the organs, and the activity of the brain becomes slow and intact after which a person deeply goes into sleep of great relaxation. This is the most beneficial stage for a person where he discharges hormones and the death cells rejuvenate, as it develops the red-blood cell. The second category (Delta Sleep): after 70 to 90 minutes of sleep the stage of Rapid Eye Movement comes when the heart bit increases, and the fingers and the fingertips shiver and the rapid brethren of the person sleeping increases as well as the brain activity. during this stage, the eye moves front and back under the eyelid while the brain discharges a chemical substance in the sensitive parts storing the day happenings. It is because of this, the dream occurs.
Without adequate sleep, the two stages called Delta and the Rapid Eye Movement are in trouble, the reason for which the mood is disturbed and a person suffers stress and depression. Also, the memory is disturbed, likewise the ability to identify or make judgment on things is lost.
In fact, this might cause failure for a student in his examinations especially in calculation as this was confirmed by a group of scientists from the University of Chicago and Bradly Hospital University in the United States.
A healthy body is dependent on a healthy sleep, why?
In the University of Chicago, it was established that chronic insomnia reduces the major energy of those who are capable of carrying out tasks like fat storage, brain surgery, in fact it has effect on the system of hormone discharge. They have left the volunteers to sleep for 8 hours for some days, and four hours some other days, the decision that has led to low glucose tolerance in the blood and dysfunction of endocrine which leads to symptoms that are similar to old-age illnesses or the first stage of diabetics. The ability of those people to release isoline has also decrease by 30 percent as they take 40 percent longer to stabilize the sugar level in the blood after taking heavy carbohydrates. They are also said to have suffered anxiety and tension. And this is another one sign of aging, a situation that confirms what the scientists have said that ‘insomnia has connection with symptoms of aging like diabetics, irregular blood pressure which could lead to hart problems.
Of the major hormones that is affected by unhealthy sleep is Cortisol. It is called stressed hormone, the hormone which, in a normal circumstance, supposed to be in a lower rate during preparation for sleep while it increases when awakening so as to help the energy and the movement, but in an unhealthy sleep, cortisol increases in the next day and the adrenal gland releases this hormone easily when a body is confronted with any pressure in the day, and the increment of cortisol hormone for a long time might lead to the destruction of the brain cells and leaning in the places of the brains that are specific to learning and retention. this was also confirmed after some studies that were carried out on animals. Insomnia also affects the muscle building hormone, growth hormone as it reduces the body immune systems. In fact, those who sleep for a longer time have reduction of the killer cells which are important elements the immune system that kills viruses and cancer cells. The studies conducted at the university of Pittsburgh confirm that the body and especially the brain works during the duration of sleep on production of energy molecules called adenosine Triphosphate until the body starts to move or wakeup all its energies starting from the muscles down to the memory.
A group of Bulgarian scientists from the university of League concluded that the brain continues to distribute information even during sleep and that its activity in learning is very similar to its learning activity while awake in Rapid Eye Movement stage.
There are 60 percent of women who are suffering of insomnia, whereas, only 50 percent of men suffer the same problem. At the beginning of women menstrual cycle, the progesterone hormone, which influences sleep, is little after it had risen during the period of egg production at the middle of the month, this causes irregularity in the women’s sleep. Also, during pregnancy, the level of hormones in the day is high, a situation that frequently causes the drowsiness in the day which eventually leads to irregularity in the sleep in the night.
Description of a healthy sleep
– Refrain from stimulants like coffee, tea, sport and nicotine before you sleep
– Try to fix time for sleep
– Never sleep in the afternoon
– Regulate the temperature such that your body temperature is higher than the temperature of the room in which you sleep. With this, the warmness of the body parts will help the blood flow, and eventually, the melatonin discharges.
– Sleep on your back or on your side and refrain from lying on the stomach
– Reduce the light or the lamps because the light that reflects on the eye might awake the human Biological Clock
– Do not sleep at noon Because it is also capable of destabilizing the Biological Clock.
Now, you have learnt some secrets of sleep. Hence, try to make it a healthy one.
By Nuha Salamah
