Healthy Sleep Tips – Common Questions and Misconceptions About Sleep

Sleep is necessary for human survival. Well, that’s a pretty bold way to say, you should get regular sleep. There are several questions and often misconceptions we have about sleep. We may not understand all the complexities of sleep, but research suggests that it is a valuable part of our lives. This article addresses some f the main concepts you should have regarding sleep. Read on to find out more.

How much sleep do I really need?

Sleep requirements are usually age-dependent. Newborns have a record requirement of about 20 hours while adults typically need about 8-9 hours of sleep. While oversleeping might make you late to an appointment, insufficient sleep will actually affect your body functional capacity. It is important that you meet all your daily sleeping requirements.

Sleep tip: try and avoid oversleeping as much as possible. This will save you the trouble of readjusting your internal clock to a suitable sleep-wake cycle. Having a sleeping schedule will train your body to desire sleep at particular times and wake up at others.

The dangers of sleep deprivation

Pulling the occasional all-nighters isn’t necessarily dangerous. In fact for adolescents and young adults, it comes very easy. However, lacking sufficient sleep could lead you to be sleep deprived and cause a bunch of other problems that you may not anticipate. Common symptoms aside, some effects can adversely affect your lifestyle and lead to even more serious complications.

Sleep deprivation not only robs your body the chance to heal but also affects significant brain activity. Sleeping well is important for learning and optimized cognitive and emotional activity. Without sufficient quality sleep, you begin to suffer from poor concentration, slowed learning and moodiness. Some hormones are usually produced while you sleep. When you stay up all day and all night, you do not get the chance to replenish and balance out these hormones. This puts you at risk of bearing the consequences of lacking or low levels of these hormones.

Fighting fatigue even after a whole night’s sleep

When you sleep, your body is not just suspended in nothingness. In fact, sleep has a major therapeutic role. During the different stages of sleep, your body performs some important rejuvenation tasks that wouldn’t be possible at high-intensity operation times.

No wonder a good night’s sleep feels like a reboot. When you wake up fatigued, it indicates your body did not get the chance to refresh itself. The surrounding environment or your quality sleep is usually the number one culprit of fatigued sleeping experience. If you suffer from poor quality sleep you might be restless, find it difficult to fall and stay asleep.

You will, therefore, be unable to reach restorative states, or even if you do, your body does not spend enough time in these states to actually repair itself. Sleeping in poor conditions will not only interrupt your sleep sessions and force you to constantly awake, but it may also physically contribute to your fatigue. Enduring an unsupported awkward position throughout the night might lead to the development of strains, aches or fatigue.

Sleep fact: Some conditions and disorders are usually responsible for sleeplessness or interrupted sleep. The effect of which is a feeling of fatigue due to poor quality sleep.

What is sleep debt?

Sleep debt can be understood as the summed up effects of insufficient sleep. The more sleep loss you experience, the larger your sleep debt becomes. In some cases, sleep debt may result from other secondary medical conditions. If you experience a large enough debt, you begin to experience physical and mental fatigue. Symptoms of sleep deprivation start to kick in, and normal body function begins to shut down. Unlike other debts, sleep doesn’t require that you repay your debts with interest or in exact balance. Repaying your sleep debt dictates that you establish a conducive sleep environment.

Sleep tip: in case you feel tempted to extend into your sleep time, remember the debt and consequence that will follow insufficient sleep. I’m not telling you to lay off your leisure activities, but try and manage them so that they do not eat into your bedtime.

Differentiating sleep apnea and snoring

Just because you snore does not mean you have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea generally involves repeated hindrance to your breathing. Snoring might come as a consequence of experiencing apnea episodes. The more severe your Sleep Apnea is, the more intensely you may snore. Snoring on its own occurs due to interferences in airflow. You may experience snoring independently from sleep apnea or as an effect of the same. Either of these two could be problematic if you share your bed with a spouse or partner. Appropriate treatment is necessary for both yours and your partner’s sake.

Sleep Tip: Before you start out any DIY home remedies, make sure you get a diagnosis from your healthcare provider. They should determine the severity of your condition and give you the go-ahead to try out some remedies. If your doctor finds it suitable, they will add supplementary treatments to help with your condition and eradicate most of the effects the condition may have on your sleep.

Rating your sleep habits

You either have a high-quality sleep, intermediate or poor quality sleep. Each of these has its own effects. Ideally, we all want good quality, adequate sleep. You may be unsatisfied with your current state and maybe want more. It takes a lot of work and commitment but achieving high quality is quite possible. From the type of mattress you sleep on the temperature in your bedroom, necessary adjustments must be made before you can get to that level. denver mattress gives you several options depending on the type of support you may need.

Some lifestyle adjustments might be necessary to help with your sleep goals. Reduced alcohol and caffeine intake may be instrumental in alleviating some sleep-related conditions and allowing uninterrupted nights rest.

Final word

Getting enough sleep is very important. For your body to be in a well-rested state, you need to establish a consistent resting pattern. External factors such as the environment in your room or even mattress and internal factors such as your behavior may influence how much sleep you’re getting.  It takes some work but achieving quality sleep is possible for everyone.