2024-01-20 02:58:17
Ayer 23:58
Sleep is more than a whim, it is a critical biological function for maintaining our mental and physical health.
I sleep well, you may be thinking, six hours a day and that’s it. Insurance? The amount of sleep needed per day is five cycles of ninety minutes each (hence the famous 7:30/eight hours per night). A world-renowned researcher in the field of health, in his book ‘Why We Sleep’, exposes an alarming statistic: sleeping less than six hours a night for two weeks in a row (something relatively common) can reduce cognitive abilities, to the same level as a Full night without sleep. That is, if you are used to sleeping less than six hours, you live in a cognitive state equivalent to passing by. The most interesting thing is that as we get used to sleeping poorly, we lose the ability to distinguish that we need to rest. We normalize being tired and without energy, as if that were normal, when the only thing we should do is increase sleep by a couple of hours.
It’s interesting how we all (including myself) have this harmful practice of sleeping less and less, with the ideal of working more and being more productive, when in reality, the opposite happens. A study conducted at the University of California found that sleeping poorly makes us 50% more likely to make bad decisions. What would be better, having the criteria to make good decisions, or having an extra hour a day?
Consequently, lack of adequate sleep is not just a problem of tiredness or bad mood; The consequences extend far beyond, affecting our ability to think, make decisions, learn and stay healthy.
If then it is clear to us that not having a good quantity and quality of sleep is harmful, what are the benefits of sleeping well? Let’s imagine the following, our family doctor tells us that a new pill came on the market, which has the following benefits: lengthens life expectancy, improves memory, improves creativity, improves concentration, reduces anxiety, and has ZERO effects secondary. We’d probably all run to the pharmacy. The bad news is that this pill does not exist, the good news is that with good sleep hygiene (quantity and quality), we can achieve all this at zero cost.
But then, how do I sleep better? A first step is to limit exposure to blue light when it’s nighttime. Blue light (from all devices that have artificial light, such as screens and fluorescent lights) reduces melatonin production by 55%, significantly disrupting sleep patterns. Avoiding electronic screens at least an hour before bed is a recommended practice to avoid this effect. A second step, but no less important, is to learn to regulate our circadian rhythm (the biological clock that we all have inside us), and a very simple way to do this is to expose ourselves to sunlight during the first hours of the day. This practice synchronizes the circadian rhythm, letting the brain know that it is time to be awake, and begins to count the hours so that, when night comes, we actually feel sleepy and sleeping is not a headache.
Therefore, if we want 2024 to be our year, let’s start dreaming a little more.
*Counter. Author of Hack Your Brain.
1705721260
#Lets #dream #Profile
