Although you may think getting the right amount of sleep isn’t that important, it is. Actually, good sleep habits are a big part of staying healthy.
While you’re sleeping, your brain is still active. As you sleep, your brain passes through stages that are necessary for you to stay healthy. Sleep is actually food for your brain. About every 90 minutes while you snooze, your brain passes through four stages of sleep – from light to deep – then moves into one of the most important stages of sleep, known as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is believed to be important in learning and memory.
As sleep progresses, your brain spends more and more time in REM stage, from about 10 minutes during the first cycle to over an hour at the end of 8 or 9 hours of sleep. So if you sleep for only 6 hours a night, and you use weekends to catch up, you may not get the same quality of sleep you would have if you tacked on an extra 2 hours each night during the week.
SLEEP PROBLEMSIf you think you have any of the following symptoms, talk to your doctor:
– Insomnia happens when you have a lot of trouble falling asleep, especially when it happens often. The most common cause for insomnia is stress. Chronic insomnia lasts more than a month.
– Sleepwalking is when you walk or move around during sleep. Sleepwalking usually isn’t a serious problem, but some sleepwalkers are at risk of getting hurt if they go into the kitchen where there are sharp items or if they go outside.
– Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes a person to stop breathing temporarily during sleep. Causes of apnea include enlarged adenoids and tonsils, and obesity. People with sleep apnea may experience snoring, difficulty breathing, choking, and heavy sweating during sleep. They may also feel extremely sleepy or irritable during the day.
– Narcolepsy is a sleep problem in which the person has sleep “attacks” during the day and can’t stay awake, no matter how much sleep the person had the night before.
HOW MANY ZZZS DO I NEED?
Not getting enough sleep can affect your ability to concentrate and make good judgments. It can also cause emotional problems such as depression. You might also feel irritable, cranky, or more emotional than usual. When you don’t get enough sleep, you might feel more clumsy and less coordinated. Not getting enough sleep can also contribute to acne and other skin problems.
TIPS FOR GETTING THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF SLEEPIf you want to make good sleep a habit, think about ways to make your schedule more manageable. Here are some tips for good sleep habits:
– Have a regular bedtime and stick to it.
– Try to stay on schedule even on the weekend.
– Leave some time to unwind before bed. – Get into bright light as soon as possible in the morning. Bright light signals the brain that it’s time to wake up.
– Say no to cramming for exams with all-nighters. The best way to prepare for a test is to spread your studying out over time and to get plenty of sleep. If you’re doing everything to get enough rest, and still feel tired, talk to your doctor.