Practically no
one would dispute the need for seven to eight hours of sleep a night; the
reality however, is that the majority of us getting far less sleep than our
bodies require. What is happening is our biological needs are at odds with our schedules
and all the added diversions such as watching television into the late hours of
the night, surfing the internet and maintaining our social media contacts.
The restorative
and regenerative processes that occur during the time we sleep are numerous and
range from the relaxation of muscles, increased blood flow to muscles and
tissues, the release of growth hormones and increased efficiency of the immune system. Sleep in
America polls conducted over the last several years by the National Sleep
Foundation reveal that 20% of Americans report that they get less than 6 hours of
sleep on average, and the number of Americans that report that they get 8 hours
of more has decreased. The Center for
Disease control has taken notice of this national trend and has declared that 30%
of U.S. workers are not getting nearly enough sleep and in fact sleep 6 or
fewer hours a day. In addition, lack of sleep impacts
the ability to learn and retain information. The Division of Sleep Medicine at
Harvard Medical School has a website with information specific to sleep,
learning and memory http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/benefits-of-sleep/learning-memory The problem is clearly not of one of not understanding the need for adequate rest, but to prioritize it in our lives.
For more ideas
on how to get to sleep, and to sleep well visit:
http://tjhealth.com/how-to-sleep-well//
For more
information on topics related to sleep, including its relation to aging,
Alzheimer’s and Dementia visit the National Sleep Foundation http://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/sleep-topics
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