My cats, Huey & Dewey, have mastered the art of power sleeping. Unfortunately, their favorite pillow is my keyboard...
Without being silly and going on about the dear little monsters, we humans can learn much from animals when it comes to giving in to deep sleep. Why is it that I hear people proclaim with a certain amount of pride, "I only sleep 4-5 hours a night!"?
Turns out that if you only allowed yourself 4-5 hours of sleep a night for two weeks, you could have the same amount of cognitive deficits as someone who didn't sleep for 3 days straight! Only, you wouldn't even know it. You might feel slightly sleepy, but you wouldn't even be aware of how much your thinking is impaired.
How dangerous is that? I guess it depends on whether you work driving heavy machinery or managing people, but either way, I wouldn't want you for a boss.
If you have an active and busy life, going to bed at night may be the only time you are quiet long enough to think. Hence, going to sleep at night becomes a problem. Worries and concerns crowd the brain. Problems that were unresolved during the day pop up.
Insomnia and incomplete sleep results when too much stimulation doesn’t allow the brain to go into deep sleep mode. Research shows that the average person needs about seven to eight hours of sleep each night, although this diminishes with age.
Sufficient sleep is necessary for the normal brain to repair itself, and to facilitate connections between brain cells.
When sleep patterns improve, so do memory and mood. To achieve maximum brain fitness, do not ignore the quality and quantity of your sleep. For most people just getting to bed 30 to 60 minutes earlier can make a meaningful difference.
Avoid daytime naps of more than 20 minutes so that you don’t wake up groggy. Avoid taking sleep medications as well, as these can become addictive and in the long run interfere with the brain’s natural sleep cycles.
Avoid too much stimulation, either physical or mental, in the evenings. If you have a hard time falling asleep, learn relaxation methods such as meditation, self-hypnosis, yoga, stretching, or listening to relaxing music. If you are married or in a relationship, mutually relaxing massage or making love is another way of inducing sleep and being kind to your bodies and brains as well.
Getting vigorous physical exercise during the day is known to improve sleep quality at night. It also helps reduce stress and regulates moods. Stress, both emotional and physical, must be managed in order to promote brain health and good sleeping habits.
Your body needs certain vitamins, minerals and in order to repair itself during sleep at night. Consider using supplements if you don’t always eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, or have stress and poor sleeping habits.
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