The Necessity of Sleep

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Sleep is an absolutely vital component of a person's health and wellbeing.  During the process of sleep, your body goes to work in many different ways; ranging from building and healing cells, recharging your cardiovascular system fro the next day, and boosting your immune system.  Millions of Americans do not get adequate sleep.  At least 40 million of them suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders, and 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more.  These issues often go untreated and undiagnosed.

Individual sleep needs may vary, but most healthy adults need an average of eight hours of sleep every night.  A lot of factors may contribute to the development of sleep disorders and difficulties.  These include abnormalities in the cardiovascular, metabolic, nervous, and immune systems of the body.  Conditions such as emotional disorders, hypertension, obesity, and substance abuse can all contribute to sleep problems as well.

Stress is the most common cause of short term sleeping issues.  Triggers of stress that may contribute to difficulties sleeping include job or school related stresses, family or marital issues, and a serious death or illness in the family.  Drinking alcohol, ingesting caffeine, and exercising close to bedtime can all disrupt sleep.  Irregular schedules can also contribute to difficulties sleeping, as our circadian rhythm is always out of sync due to inconsistencies in wake and sleep times.

When your body does not get a chance to properly recharge through sleep, you will often find yourself drowsy, irritable, and depressed.  Making decisions, remembering things, or taking in new information becomes a struggle to take in and process.  You also crave more unhealthy foods when you are sleep deprived, leading to weight gain and all of the various issues that are associated with unhealthy weight gain.

Falling asleep while driving is responsible for at least 100,000 accidents, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 deaths each year in the United States.  Those who are at risk for drowsy car accidents are those who sleep six or fewer hours per day, commercial truck drivers, night shift workers, patients with untreated sleep disorders, and young adult males.

There are many techniques according to leading sleep researchers that help in combating sleep issues.  An important tip is to keep a regular sleep and wake time.  This lets your circadian rhythm sync accordingly and sets a biological clock for your body to shut down and wake the next day.  Avoid alcohol or caffeine four to six hours before bedtime.  Get regular exercise, and minimize light and noise where you sleep.

Works Cited:

 http://www.apa.org/topics/sleep/why.aspx

 https://www.resmed.com/us/en/consumer/diagnosis-and-treatment/healthy-sleep/what-happens-during-sleep.html

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