Sleeping makes you smart
While sleeping, our brain-cells repeat the things we learned during the day. Afterwards, the learned things pass into long-term memory. In the office, a short “power-nap” is worthwhile, as well: 10 to 20 minutes of short sleep enhance your performance.
Lack of sleep makes us unattractive
In a study, Swedish scientists took pictures of their participants after sleeping 8 hours and after being awake for 31 hours. Another group evaluated the photographed people using several criterions like: how happy, how fit and how healthy does the photographed person seem to be? In the eyes of the people with a lack of sleep the jury saw the most sorrows, pale skin and hanging corners of the mouth made them unattractive contemporaries in comparison with the slept-off-ones. Study leader Tina Sundelin points the attention to the fact that the face of the person vis-à-vis has a big influence on how we respond to him or her. Tiredness and the characteristics of weakness that stand out after a lack of sleep are having a bigger influence on human communication than many assume.
Your heart is grateful for seven hours of sleep
For your heart, seven or more hours of sleep per night significantly improve the advantages of a healthy lifestyle. This is a finding of a study of the National Institute for Public Health and Environment of the University of Wageningen, Netherlands. Sufficient exercise, a healthy lifestyle, few alcohol and non-smoking lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases by 57 %. When sufficient sleep was added, the risk significantly lowered (65 %). The number of deaths declined as well.
Active days are better for night’s rest
When suffering under symptoms of menopause, exercise is helpful. An American study proved, that when you are having daily exercise, you are having less hot-flushes and are able to better control sweating and sleep disturbances during night. The female participants in the age from 54 to 63 had to keep a diary every day and to wear sleep-monitors. In questionnaires they noted their physical activity including housework, nursing tasks and sports. Women with more exercise reported a better sleep and less nighttime-awakenings.
Sufficient sleep diminishes risk of diseases
When you are having too little or too bad sleep you are more sick-prone. Because, lack of sleep supports the risk of getting ill. Actually, every human being feels how much sleep he needs. The perfect sleeping duration is very individual and depends on age, build and sex. But one thing is true for everyone: sleep is vital. When you are having sufficient and a disturbance-free sleep you don’t have to worry, because sleep is the best pre-condition for health and fitness. But, in case you are sleeping too less or even bad you are running the risk of harming your body. US-scientists of the Carnegie Mellon University proved that too less sleep is interfering with the immune system and is abetting colds. Furthermore, too little or too bad sleep is a risk for many chronical diseases like overweight, high blood-pressure, depression and cardiac diseases.
Sleep gets you in the mood for sexual intercourse
Studies show that too little sleep is leading to fewer mood for sexual intercourse, as well with men as with women.
You are leading a healthier life when you are sleeping enough
Most people sleep about seven hours: statistically these sleepers have the highest life expectancy. But, there is not one answer that is true for everyone because the need for sleep is different for every person. A period from five to nine hours of sleep is normal. The recreational value of sleep is not only linked to the duration, anyway. Factors like surrounding, temperature and the personal state loom large. And, not only sleeping too less is unhealthy, the other extreme is not advisable as well.
Lulled into sleep
For example take a nap in a hammock or a rocking chair: you are not only falling asleep faster your sleep is more restful, too. Culturally, this is known long since: babies are lulled into sleep.
Better fall asleep in a good mood
“Sleep over it”: especially after a serious experience you should not go to bed right away and sleep over it. Because like this, the negative experience will be manifested in your memory like scientists proved.
A lot of sleep for children
Sufficient sleep is relative: in the age of ten sufficient sleep is about 9 or 9.5 hours, in the age of twelve between 8 and 8.5 hours and in the age from 16 to 18 seven hours only. Scientists found out that the kids had the best performance on the following day after this period. This also aligns with other studies which quote: the older you get the less sleep you need.
Image Source: ©fotolia
This post is also available in / Diesen Beitrag gibt es auch in: German
Leave a Reply