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Sleep
Tight
While we don't know if adequate sleep
can increase your lifespan, we know that it can certainly delay the ageing
process and prevent certain serious health problems. If a person does not
get enough sleep his performance - both in the bedroom and the boardroom
- will be lacking. Low creativity, laziness, irritability - all these are
associated with a lack of sleep. So find out if you get enough sleep.
How much is enough?
While the amount of sleep required
varies from person to person, eight hours of sleep should be adequate.
However, some people manage on four and five hours of sleep as well - but
on the whole seven to nine hours of sleep is what the majority of young
and middle aged men and women require. As we age, we require less sleep.
In any case, what's more important than the quantity of sleep is the quality.
Snoring - not
funny
Do you snore? While snoring per say
is harmless (though annoying to your partner) it does signify poor quality
of sleep, resulting in daytime fatigue. However, that's just the good news.
Snoring can sometimes be a symptom of a more serious disorder called Obstructive
Sleep Apnea, which is characterised by a stoppage of breath due to an obstruction
in the air passage. This obstruction could be caused by the nose (e.g.
by a deviated septum), throat, palate or tongue. Obstructive sleep Apnea
can cause the level of oxygen in our bloodstream to drop to dangerous levels.
This results in blood pressure and heart problems. Thus if you feel you
or your partner has this disorder, it should be treated immediately.
Jerky leg movements
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), characterized
by slight jerking movements of the legs, often contributes to poor sleep.
What causes RLS? Poor blood circulation is thought to be the main culprit.
So if your days are spent sitting on a desk at work, and are followed by
evenings of television viewing, you're a likely candidate. If you feel
a 'creepy' sensation in your leg followed by a strong urge to move it around,
or if you feel your leg jerking involuntarily while sitting or watching
television, your circulation to that leg has probably dipped.
You could
relieve RLS by:
-
Taking a steaming hot or icy cold shower.
-
Avoid caffeine products, including tea,
coffee, chocolates.
-
Does your blood test show low iron levels?
This could be a cause, so increase iron intake.
-
Go for a jog.
Dreams
How many times have people told us
that a dreamless sleep is sound sleep? In actuality there is nothing like
a dreamless sleep. We dream every night, but when we wake up in the morning
we may or may not remember our dreams. If we've had a bad dream or a nightmare,
we would probably wake up with the memory fresh in our heads. Of course,
when we've had a bad dream we've probably not slept well because our psychological
unease manifests itself in the form of a nightmare. However, every time
we remember a dream doesn't mean we've had a bad sleep. Dreams occur during
certain sleep cycles, and if we wake up during a dream cycle, we would
be likely to remember the dream. On the other hand, if we wake up a while
after the dream cycle is over, we no longer remember the dream unless it
was disturbing or extremely vivid. Most dreams are of mundane, regular
topics, like a day in the office - so we don't remember them.
Tips to sleep
well
-
Drink a glass of warm milk before turning
in for the night.
-
Avoid caffienated drinks. They are known
to keep you tossing and turning well into the night.
-
Sleep at roughly the same time every
night.
-
Wake up at the same time every morning,
even if you have a holiday. Try and get your body accustomed to a sleep
rhythm.
-
Don't exercise within three hours
of your bedtime. Exercise early morning or early evening, at least four
hours after lunch.
-
Don't work in the bedroom. Your bedroom
should be only used for relaxation and should consequently be associated
with feelings of tranquillity and rest.
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