The Connection Between Sleep and Health

Sleep to some may just be that part of your day that naturally comes around and you don't give it another thought. It's only when sleep won't come that it becomes apparent just how much of our lives are dependent on it. Sleep is there for a reason. It allows the body time to re charge and rest from the days events. Without it you can even start hallucinating. As fun as that might sound its not so good for your health. The optimal amount of sleep that a grown adult needs is thought to be 8 hours a night although anything between 7 and 9 is though acceptable. Too much or too little sleep is thought to increase mortality rates so its not something to take lightly.

Have you ever noticed when studying a subject that once you have slept the information seems to have found its way into your memory. That's because when you sleep the brain attempts to organize all of the things that occurred during the day. So that when you try to recall a subject your brain has added the information you studied to the relevant "filing" area in your brain.

There are a number of things that you can do to help yourself get some grade A sleep. Get yourself in the sun. Direct sunlight produces the chemical melatonin which is released into the body when you sleep. It helps regulate sleep so that you wake up in the morning feeling restful.

Take exercise. By taking exercise you will increase your chance of a good nights sleep. Its a catch 22 that if you're too tired to do exercise through lack of sleep your sleep will suffer leaving you tired. Stay away from caffeine and nicotine in the evening. If you have ever studied late on an essay that needed to be in the next day then you will know the effect of too much caffeine. Coffee can help keep you up late but it will also leave you feeling like you need a couple of coffees the next morning to get going again.

Where you sleep has a huge impact. If you have noise and light seeping into your bedroom then this could hamper your sleep attempts. Also make sure you've got the correct kind of mattress for your back and the right height of bed. It may seem like a small thing but if you're getting in and out of a bed that's the wrong height for you it could cause problems. Also, the mattress that you're using needs to be the right firmness for your back muscles. This is something that younger people can get away without worrying about too much but as we get older the wrong type of mattress can have a more damaging effect.