As a baby you had it made. Sleep easily came to you. Your eyelids were heavy as sleep once again beckoned you into her outstretched arms, smiling seductively at you, making her invitation seem appealing. You would sleep continuously for a stretch of 12 to 16 hours. Those were the days of sleep and food, if you didn't have one, you had the other. As we grow this changes; we are prone to more stress and have more things to learn from and do. Work begins to keep us up late. And at merely 13 years some kids report of having insomnia.
You see, sleep is one of the things you should not compromise on. You may feel, “What’s the harm? Let me complete my work and then go to bed”. But this totally affects your sleep-wake cycle. Naturally, everyone has an inner alarm, it knocks you out and wakes you up. At birth, it's set for maximum crib time, but as you get older, the clock shifts your metabolism and hormones in ways that deprive you of deep, dead-to-the-world sleep.
Here are the facts: Six hours and 54 minutes. That's the amount of shut-eye the National Sleep Foundation says you're getting. It's also 2 hours and 6 minutes shy of the 9 hours, not 8, you should be getting. Ironically: our age group, puberty through 25, needs a lot of sleep. High blood pressure and decreased resistance to invading microbes results in a compromised bodily repair and maintenance system.
Well, not all hope is lost. There are some ways by which we can escape from the sleep saboteurs.
Some tips:
- Be in bed by 10:00pm. I know it's pretty early and you may feel like you have better things to do than sleep, but that's not true. Believe it or not, those who sleep better perform better.
- Don't try and keep yourself up with caffeine. If you feel tired and sleepy, JUST SLEEP!! You don't need to cram any more information into your brain. Whether you have an exam the next day, an interview, or a presentation, it just means that you need more sleep.
- For those who work, try to take some weeknights off. Come home early and relax. Take a breather. It is better to be alive and excited for work rather than to just show up and get caught sleeping behind your desk.
- Don't sleep in on weekends. Follow your 8-hour routine. Force yourself to wake up in time just so that your internal clock is not affected.
- If you feel like you need to take power naps at some part of your day do so. Some researchers have found that these power naps of 10-15 minutes can help some people feel more energized. Of course, it may not apply to every individual.
- As you age, it is seen that you are able to grab more sleep. But for those who still have some trouble, grab some vitamin B5 pills and help reduce stress.
- Don't ponder on matters which do not affect you. Aged people tend to have a habit of worrying about everyone around them. As said above, this increases cortisol levels which result in increased stress levels and less sleep.
- Finally, the most important tip. SLEEP like a BABY. Sleep in the most comfortable position you feel like.
Are any of you sleep-deprived individuals following any of these tips? If not, start today. GO SLEEP!
