Each person needs a good quality sleep. An Adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep and children need 10 hours of sleep to stay healthy. Sleep may not be sufficient or of good quality if it is disturbed or interrupted. Person may feel sleepy in day time or feel headache with tiredness or burning sensation in eyes in the day hours. He or she may feel sleepy at inappropriate times like during travelling or just after lunch.
One of the causes for not getting a good quality sleep is presence of artificial lights in the bed room. Our biological clock or sleep wake cycle is regulated by sleep hormone or Melatonin which is secreted by pineal gland located in brain. Synthesis or secretion of Melatonin is affected if our eyes are exposed to light during sleep. If artificial lights like Mobile phones or TV, LCD’s, night bulb, Table lamp etc are used or present in our bed room, it may alter melatonin secretion and make our sleep poor quality.
Melatonin is very important as it helps in inducing sleep and regulating biological clock of the body. Melatonin has strong neuro-protective effects. It prevents brain damage, Alzheimers etc. It also supress tumour or Cancer growth as it is a powerful Antioxidant. It also influence Human Growth Hormone or HGH, which is responsible to burn excess fat and repair tissue damage, improve bone density and enhance immunity during sleep. It is now revealed through research and studies that even the tiniest light may lead to insufficient or poor quality sleep by altering Melatonin synthesis. In the day time, sunlight triggers brain to inhibit melatonin making us active and alert. So it is advised to sleep in dark as our body produce melatonin in response to darkness Each day sleep has its own importance. Every time we sacrifice one night sleep it gets added to the sleep debt. One can never pay off sleep debt in a night or weekend to get back on track again.
Sleep deprevation or Poor quality sleep may lead to :
Fatigue, Lethargicness, Stress, sleepiness in daytime
- Reduced Immunity
- Weight Gain
- Lack of concentration, Anger, Irritability
- Moodiness
- Cause prediabetic stage of feeling hungry.
- Heart diseases
- Constipation
- Hypertension, risk of Stroke
- Psychosis & Depression
- Liver & Skin ailments
For Optimizing good Sleep :
- Sleep in complete darkness. tiniest bit of light may disrupt secreation of melatonin in Pineal gland.
- Keep your bedroom dark, neither too cold or not too warm.
- Keep electrical devices, alarm clocks far away from bed.
- Early to bed and early to rise.
- Avoid Mobile phones and TV before going to bed.
- Avoid exercise just before sleep.
- Light massage in the evening, meditation, deep breathing exercises, mild aerobics stimulates good sleep at night.
- Avoid heavy dinner.
- Avoid reading anything that stimulates brain at bed time. Also avoid coffee, alchohol, tea or taking food just before sleep.
- Stick to the same bed routine daily.
- A light shower in the evening is beneficial.
- A glass of milk or a banana after dinner is good to promote sleep as it contains sleep inducing hormones.
Sleep is the period when our Brain and Body is at rest. A good quality of sleep helps to maintain physical and mental balance, emotional quotient, creativity, productivity, weight balance and our overall health. Make sure you sleep in a dark room and get benefits of a good quality “Good Night Sleep”. Be Fit & Stay Healthy.