The Need For Sleep

It is commonly known that you will spend around 1/3 of your life
sleeping Sleep is an important function and much of the body’s
healing takes place while you sleep During sleep, your immune
system and detoxification organs can attend to cleansing and
restoration without needing to focus on the functions of daily
life Sleep gives the cells of the body the opportunity to
repair and eliminate waste
Sleeping and waking are part of your internal clock which is
controlled by the brain How much sleep should a person get
every night? The actual amount depends on the individual (
age) Some people need a great deal of sleep, while other can
survive on a lot less than the generally recommended value of 8
hours An individual needs to get the right amount of sleep to
feel alert, healthy and fit Some people require more sleep due
to their circadian rhythm and metabolism
Brain wave studies have indicated that there are four stages of
sleep that occur in cycles that last around 90 minutes each
When you first fall asleep, your brain waves slow down and you
become more relaxed It is only when you enter the third stage
of sleep that your body and mind become more unaware of the
world around them The fourth stage is the deepest, known as
Rapid Eye Movement (REM) These stages repeat through the night
at least three or four times
For the most restful and restorative sleep, ensure that your
sleeping environment is as healthy as possible Using natural
cotton bedding and pyjamas allows your body to ‘breathe’
comfortably Maintain plenty of fresh air by keeping a window
open at least a few centimetres if possible Avoid eating for
around two hours before sleep so enable your body to concentrate
resources on healing and repair rather than digestion
If you have difficulty getting to sleep, then there are a number
of factors to consider that may assist you to obtain a good
night’s sleep – (important in so many other facets of life)
make sure that you are getting sufficient exercise during the
day So people find that a 30-minute walk before or after dinner
can be especially helpful for facilitating deep sleep – Avoid
caffeine (particularly late in the evening) For some
individuals even a morning coffee has been shown to disturb
night time sleep – Avoid stressful mental activity immediately
before bed (curl up with a book or relaxing music instead) -
Ensure, as much as possible, that the environment is peaceful -
If you are lying awake and unable to get back to sleep, focus
your thoughts on a positive event or situation from the previous
day rather than concentrating on what is worrying you
Some remedies for a good sleep include herbal teas (such as
chamomile) or a warm bath with 2 cups of Epsom salts and around
10 drops of lavender essential oil diluted in the bathwater (nb
some aromatherapists recommend not using lavender when
pregnant) Epsom salts are high in magnesium which can assist in
relaxing the nervous system and muscles Calming, meditative
breathing and deep relaxation exercises can also assist in
promoting a good night’s sleep by quieting the mind and body
Don’t forget that having a home massage is a great way to
facilitate relaxation
Waking up can be just as important for some individuals Leaving
curtains open so that the morning light can signal your body
that it’s time to rise If you are going to bed each night at
around the same time then naturally you will awake at a regular
time each morning without the need of an intrusive alarm There
is then no need to leap out of bed – just take a few minutes to
breathe, stretch and enjoy the start of a new day

Tags | bedding, brain, cotton, digestion, exercise, immune, metabolism, movement, natural, organs, rapid, result, rhythm, sleep, stages