How much should a person sleep - eight hours in the arms of Morpheus? This standard is recommended by doctors for our body. They warn that ignoring the recommendations can lead to a deterioration in mood and health. Nevertheless, the results of a recent study of American scientists from the University of California, are surprising.
They observed thousands of patients. One group of people slept from 5.5 to 7.5 hours. The second - more than 8 hours. It turned out that people who sleep 8 hours or more do not always wake up happy and rested. Conclusion: no matter how many people sleep, the quality of sleep is important! Often a short but strong sleep can cheer a person more than a long, restless sleep. It would seem that the eight-hour dream is canceled? Not at all. It's more correct to say that a couple of sleepless nights are not forbidden. But what will become of our body if you do not sleep regularly?
If you sleep 2 hours less:
Brain: The learning of new information worsens. For example, names, surnames, phone numbers. The person becomes more irritable. Studies by experts at Harvard University show that between the 7th and 8th hours of sleep, brain neurons "absorb" the information accumulated for the day in short-term memory. If you, for example, today attended classes in English, and then "lit" all night, then everything you learned the day before in English will be safely forgotten.
Body: If you do not get to sleep 2 hours every night, the body will become more susceptible to colds. Also there is an increased appetite for sweets, so a full-fledged sleep is very important for a diet.
What should I do ? Try to get enough sleep on the weekend. You can also take a nap during the day. If you sleep three hours a day, that's something. Do not panic if it turns out that you need six instead of eight hours of sleep. Some people sleep less because they work less. If you have a day off, you can sleep less.
If you sleep 4 hours less:
Brain: For the brain, the consequences become more serious. A person begins to suffer from an unexpected loss of orientation. This is due to the fact that lack of sleep weakens short-term memory. Another symptom is the loss of patience and good mood (due to a lack of serotonin, providing a sense of happiness).
Body: After several days with such a sleep regime, the results of a young girl's examination will be characteristic of old ladies. This is expressed in increased arterial pressure, increased glucose level (which will then drop dramatically, as in the case of diabetes mellitus). In connection with this, the risk of cardiovascular diseases, in particular, myocardial infarction, increases. There will first appear a heightened sense of hunger, which will then be replaced by aversion to food. Since the secretion of cortisol - the hormone of appetite - will be inhibited.
What to do? If you are really for some reason forced to sleep, start taking 1 mg of vitamin C daily. This will stimulate the immune system. Drink plenty of water to keep your body in good shape. Do not drink coffee or cola after 2 pm. Caffeine can help you cheer up only for a short time. But in the evening, "snaps" a violation of sleep. In addition, it exerts additional stress on the already weakened heart.
If you absolutely did not sleep:
Brain: Naturally, a person experiences fatigue. He suffers from memory loss. He can not resist yawning. However, if your girlfriend is constantly yawning, this does not mean that she did not sleep all night. According to a study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, often yawn in the morning also people who slept only 4 to 6 hours. They also look tired all day long.
Body: A person becomes less than he was yesterday. And, literally! The number of cells decreases. And they can not recover quickly, because they are regenerated only during sleep. If you have not slept at all, you will feel thick and swollen, as the body tends to retain water. You will become excessively irritable and easily succumb to a bad mood. Often not sleeping at night in the long term is very dangerous. The resistance of the body drops sharply. You will become more susceptible to infection, heart disease and bouts of depression.
What to do? If you know that do not wake up at night, try to take a nap during the day or evening. Daytime short sleep is better than nothing. Try not to drive the car. After 17 hours without sleep, the reaction rate is as slow as after drinking a large amount of alcohol. Carry a rest for a day if you happen to often not sleep at night. For example, in connection with the birth of a child.
How to improve the quality of sleep?
First: Do not plan too many activities during the day. You can not do everything, so you will always be nervous. And as a consequence - insomnia.
Second: Make a list of unresolved issues in the evening. So you do not have to wake up at night, worrying that you have forgotten something.
Third: Take a relaxing walk during the day. At work, do not be too lazy to spend 60 precious seconds to get up from the chair, stretch, open the window and ventilate the room.
Fourth: Be realistic - "Wandering thinking" causes constant stress.
Fifth: Drink plenty of water.
Sixth: Go in for sports. Thanks to physical activity, sleep will come faster, and it will last longer.
Seventh: Go to bed before midnight. The sooner you lay down, the more forces will be restored. After all, we already know how much a person should sleep.
Eighth: Throw away the TV from the bedroom.