After a long weekend of four days in my company continues to add value to our life by taking us for a two hour health tips before start of duty. it was educative and i am a bit surprise at somethings we where highlighted on.
No matter how young or old you are (or feel you are), there is a natural and fabulous gift you have been given. It's a gift which is scarcely valued until it is lost. That gift is SLEEP
How Common Is This Issue?
Today, over 33% of adults have had one sleep disorder or the other. Globally sleep disorders account for well over 15% of adult visits to clinics 35% of visits to a neurologist or sleep specialist.
But what is good sleep? the answer to this question may help you determine if you are having a sleep disorder, how to recognize it in friends and family, and what to do about it.
Sleep Basics:
Sleep is a natural recurring state of altered but rousable consciousness in which awareness of the immediate environment including responses to stimuli are blunted or delayed.
This is different from a coma, in which the individual is not rousable by ordinary stimuli (calling their name, tapping or shaking their body, etc.).
This is also different from meditation which is self-induced altered consciousness for the purpose of mental and psychological renewal. This is of course also different from death which is...permanent!
Sleep Recommendations:
People should sleep for 7-9 hours everyday.
Most of our sleeping should be done at night in alignment with what we call the "circadian rhythm".
The circadian rhythm is a natural biological clock present in most living things including plants and animals which help determine the best times for optimal living. For example, some plants (cacti & some legumes) flourish better at night and hide in the day. Some animals are more active at night. But the human circadian rhythm recommends sleeping should be done at night. Unless the structure and demands of your work decide otherwise. And even in these cases, shift based systems should be considered to help maintain and even improve the health of the workers.
There are 4 elements you must think around when you consider sleep:
- Initiation: how easy is it to fall asleep (?)
- Maintenance: how easy is it for you to return to sleep after being interrupted (?)
- Termination: how easy is it for you to wake up (?)
- Effect: how refreshed do you feel after waking up (?)
Tips To Enjoy Good Sleep
- Have regular turn in times. Don't confuse your body. Let it know when it is time to sleep and time to wake up.
2. Don't over process just before turning in. Yes, you have deliverables. Yes you have outstanding work. Yes, you made a mistake earlier in the course of the day. And yes, you have sooo much to do tomorrow. Relax. Mistakes can be fixed. Deadlines can be met. Actions can be taken. And tomorrow can be a brighter and better day than today. Take 10 minutes to review the day. 10 minutes to plan for tomorrow. Whisper a 10 minutes prayer to God as you deem fit. And kindly go and sleep.
- Sleep environment.
a. Turn off your main lights (if not all your lights), including your laptop, tablet PCs, smart(& dumb)phones.
b. Least possible amount of noise (except nature music like rain, ocean front or soft instrumental music helps you).
c. Temperature. Not too cold, not to hot, not too wet. not too dry. Experiment with different fan speeds and AC temperatures (thankfully we don't need heater in this part of the world)
d. Good air fresheners with soothing scents of the garden variety are also helpful in aiding sleep.