Good Sleep Is A Key Component Of Good Health
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lack of sleep is a public health epidemic, noting that insufficient sleep has been linked to a wide variety of health problems.
After reviewing more than 300 studies to determine how many hours of sleep most people need to maintain their health, an expert panel concluded that, as a general rule, most adults need around 8 hrs per night.
Unfortunately, an estimated 40% of Americans are sleep deprived.
Many get less than 5 hrs of sleep per night, which can have a wide range of health repercussions, from an increased risk of accidents, weight gain and chronic diseases, to reduced sex drive, and decreased sexual satisfaction.
It also plays an important part in memory formation, and sleep dysfunctions such as sleep apnea have been shown to speed up memory loss.
I once disregarded the value of good sleep, rarely getting more than 5 hrs of sleep nightly.
Now I average between 8.5 hrs every night, now that I understand sleep’s value for overall health and longevity
One of the Key components of sleeping well is maintaining a natural rhythm of exposure to Sunlight during the day and darkness at night.
Exposure to bright Sunlight serves as the major synchronizer of our master clock, which in turn synchronizes all the other biological clocks throughout the body.
If the master clock is “off,” it will tend to ripple throughout your system.
One reason so many people get so little sleep, and/or such poor sleep, can be traced back to a master clock disruption caused by spending their days indoors, shielded from bright Sunlight, and then spending their evenings in too-bright artificial light. As a result, their body clocks get out of sync with the natural rhythm of daylight and nighttime darkness, and when that happens, restorative sleep becomes elusive.
To help the circadian system reset itself, make sure to get at least 10 to 15 mins of morning Sunlight.
This sends a strong message to the internal body clock that day has arrived, making it less likely to be confused by weaker light signals later. Also aim for 30 to 60 minutes of outdoor light exposure in the middle of the day, in order to “Anchor” your master clock rhythm. The ideal time to go outdoors is right around solar Noon but any time during daylight hours is good.
A gadget that can be helpful in instances when you, for some reason, cannot get outside during the day is a blue-light emitter.
Philips makes one called goLITE BLU.15 It’s a small light therapy device you can keep on your desk. Use it twice a day for about 15 mins to help you anchor your circadian rhythm if you cannot get outdoors.
The advice to get in sync with nature is echoed in recent research, which found that being in close proximity to nature helped improve the sleep quality of seniors.
Natural surroundings that had this effect included beaches and parks.
This link was much stronger for men than for women, the reason for this difference could not be discerned.
According to study author Diana Grigsby-Toussaint, a professor of Kinesiology and Community health at the University of Illinois: “Studies show that inadequate sleep is associated with declines in mental and physical health, reduced cognitive function, and increased obesity. This new study shows that exposure to a natural environment may help people get the sleep they need.”
Good sleep, Good health, Long life.
HeffX-LTN
Paul Ebeling
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