Sometimes, the pace of modern life barely gives you time to stop and rest. It can make getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis seem like a dream.
But sleep is as important for good health as diet and exercise. Good sleep improves your brain performance, mood, and health.
Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders. These range from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia.
There’s more to good sleep than just the hours spent in bed, says Dr. Marishka Brown, a sleep expert at NIH. “Healthy sleep encompasses three major things,” she explains. “One is how much sleep you get. Another is sleep quality—that you get uninterrupted and refreshing sleep. The last is a consistent sleep schedule.”
People who work the night shift or irregular schedules may find getting quality sleep extra challenging. And times of great stress—like the current pandemic—can disrupt our normal sleep routines. But there are many things you can do to improve your sleep.
Sleep for Repair
Why do we need to sleep? People often think that sleep is just “down time,” when a tired brain gets to rest, says Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, who studies sleep at the University of Rochester.
“But that’s wrong,” she says. While you sleep, your brain is working. For example, sleep helps prepare your brain to learn, remember, and create.
Nedergaard and her colleagues discovered that the brain has a drainage system that removes toxins during sleep.
“When we sleep, the brain totally changes function,” she explains. “It becomes almost like a kidney, removing waste from the system.”
Her team found in mice that the drainage system removes some of the proteins linked with Alzheimer’s disease. These toxins were removed twice as fast from the brain during sleep.
Everything from blood vessels to the immune system uses sleep as a time for repair, says Dr. Kenneth Wright, Jr., a sleep researcher at the University of Colorado.
“There are certain repair processes that occur in the body mostly, or most effectively, during sleep,” he explains. “If you don’t get enough sleep, those processes are going to be disturbed.”
Sleep Myths and Truths
How much sleep you need changes with age. Experts recommend school-age children get at least nine hours a night and teens get between eight and 10. Most adults need at least seven hours or more of sleep each night.
There are many misunderstandings about sleep. One is that adults need less sleep as they get older. This isn’t true. Older adults still need the same amount. But sleep quality can get worse as you age. Older adults are also more likely to take medications that interfere with sleep.
Another sleep myth is that you can “catch up” on your days off. Researchers are finding that this largely isn’t the case.
“If you have one bad night’s sleep and take a nap, or sleep longer the next night, that can benefit you,” says Wright. “But if you have a week’s worth of getting too little sleep, the weekend isn’t sufficient for you to catch up. That’s not a healthy behavior.”
In a recent study, Wright and his team looked at people with consistently deficient sleep. They compared them to sleep-deprived people who got to sleep in on the weekend.
Both groups of people gained weight with lack of sleep. Their bodies’ ability to control blood sugar levels also got worse. The weekend catch-up sleep didn’t help.
On the flip side, more sleep isn’t always better, says Brown. For adults, “if you’re sleeping more than nine hours a night and you still don’t feel refreshed, there may be some underlying medical issue,” she explains.
Sleep Disorders
Some people have conditions that prevent them from getting enough quality sleep, no matter how hard they try. These problems are called sleep disorders.
The most common sleep disorder is insomnia. “Insomnia is when you have repeated difficulty getting to sleep and/or staying asleep,” says Brown. This happens despite having the time to sleep and a proper sleep environment. It can make you feel tired or unrested during the day.
Insomnia can be short-term, where people struggle to sleep for a few weeks or months. “Quite a few more people have been experiencing this during the pandemic,” Brown says. Long-term insomnia lasts for three months or longer.
Sleep apnea is another common sleep disorder. In sleep apnea, the upper airway becomes blocked during sleep. This reduces or stops airflow, which wakes people up during the night. The condition can be dangerous. If untreated, it may lead to other health problems.
If you regularly have problems sleeping, talk with your health care provider. They may have you keep a sleep diary to track your sleep for several weeks. They can also run tests, including sleep studies. These look for sleep disorders.
Getting Better Sleep
If you’re having trouble sleeping, hearing how important it is may be frustrating. But simple things can improve your odds of a good night’s sleep. See the Wise Choices box for tips to sleep better every day.
Treatments are available for many common sleep disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help many people with insomnia get better sleep. Medications can also help some people.
Many people with sleep apnea benefit from using a device called a CPAP machine. These machines keep the airway open so that you can breathe. Other treatments can include special mouthguards and lifestyle changes.
For everyone, “as best you can, try to make sleep a priority,” Brown says. “Sleep is not a throwaway thing—it’s a biological necessity.”
Did you know that your body has its own internal network of clocks? These biological clocks help you feel alert during the day, hungry at mealtimes, and sleepy at night. Keeping your body’s daily cycles, or circadian rhythms, in sync is important for your health.
“Circadian rhythms are big influencers in the body,” explains NIH’s Dr. Michael Sesma, an expert in circadian biology. “They affect almost every part of your physiology in one way or another. Learning how the rhythm is generated is critical for understanding health.”
Our natural daily rhythms are synchronized with the sun. A “master clock” in the brain receives direct input from the eyes and coordinates all the biological clocks in the body. During the day, it sends signals to other brain regions to make hormones that will help keep you awake, boost your heart rate, and give you energy. In the evening, when less light enters your eyes, it triggers production of a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin makes you feel drowsy and helps you stay asleep.
“Many of your body’s functions and normal daily activities—like sleeping, waking, eating, and going to the bathroom—are patterned around this 24-hour cycle,” Sesma explains.
Your biological clock’s “settings” are determined by specific genes. These settings can affect body temperature, blood pressure, activity level, inflammation (your body’s protective response to injury or infection), fertility, mood, and brain functions. Even the timing of health-related events can be related to your biological clocks. For instance, heart attacks are more likely to occur early in the morning, when the level of a hormone called cortisol starts its daily rise.
Circadian rhythms can influence eating habits, digestion, and metabolism (how our body uses and stores energy), too. Researchers have found that eating later in the day, closer to when melatonin is released, can disrupt the body’s natural rhythms. This can lead to increased body fat and weight gain, which are often associated with obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.Sometimes, the pace of modern life barely gives you time to stop and rest. It can make getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis seem like a dream.
But sleep is as important for good health as diet and exercise. Good sleep improves your brain performance, mood, and health.
Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders. These range from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia.
There’s more to good sleep than just the hours spent in bed, says Dr. Marishka Brown, a sleep expert at NIH. “Healthy sleep encompasses three major things,” she explains. “One is how much sleep you get. Another is sleep quality—that you get uninterrupted and refreshing sleep. The last is a consistent sleep schedule.”
People who work the night shift or irregular schedules may find getting quality sleep extra challenging. And times of great stress—like the current pandemic—can disrupt our normal sleep routines. But there are many things you can do to improve your sleep.
Sleep for Repair
Why do we need to sleep? People often think that sleep is just “down time,” when a tired brain gets to rest, says Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, who studies sleep at the University of Rochester.
“But that’s wrong,” she says. While you sleep, your brain is working. For example, sleep helps prepare your brain to learn, remember, and create.
Nedergaard and her colleagues discovered that the brain has a drainage system that removes toxins during sleep.
“When we sleep, the brain totally changes function,” she explains. “It becomes almost like a kidney, removing waste from the system.”
Her team found in mice that the drainage system removes some of the proteins linked with Alzheimer’s disease. These toxins were removed twice as fast from the brain during sleep.
Everything from blood vessels to the immune system uses sleep as a time for repair, says Dr. Kenneth Wright, Jr., a sleep researcher at the University of Colorado.
“There are certain repair processes that occur in the body mostly, or most effectively, during sleep,” he explains. “If you don’t get enough sleep, those processes are going to be disturbed.”
Sleep Myths and Truths
How much sleep you need changes with age. Experts recommend school-age children get at least nine hours a night and teens get between eight and 10. Most adults need at least seven hours or more of sleep each night.
There are many misunderstandings about sleep. One is that adults need less sleep as they get older. This isn’t true. Older adults still need the same amount. But sleep quality can get worse as you age. Older adults are also more likely to take medications that interfere with sleep.
Another sleep myth is that you can “catch up” on your days off. Researchers are finding that this largely isn’t the case.
“If you have one bad night’s sleep and take a nap, or sleep longer the next night, that can benefit you,” says Wright. “But if you have a week’s worth of getting too little sleep, the weekend isn’t sufficient for you to catch up. That’s not a healthy behavior.”
In a recent study, Wright and his team looked at people with consistently deficient sleep. They compared them to sleep-deprived people who got to sleep in on the weekend.
Both groups of people gained weight with lack of sleep. Their bodies’ ability to control blood sugar levels also got worse. The weekend catch-up sleep didn’t help.
On the flip side, more sleep isn’t always better, says Brown. For adults, “if you’re sleeping more than nine hours a night and you still don’t feel refreshed, there may be some underlying medical issue,” she explains.
Sleep Disorders
Some people have conditions that prevent them from getting enough quality sleep, no matter how hard they try. These problems are called sleep disorders.
The most common sleep disorder is insomnia. “Insomnia is when you have repeated difficulty getting to sleep and/or staying asleep,” says Brown. This happens despite having the time to sleep and a proper sleep environment. It can make you feel tired or unrested during the day.
Insomnia can be short-term, where people struggle to sleep for a few weeks or months. “Quite a few more people have been experiencing this during the pandemic,” Brown says. Long-term insomnia lasts for three months or longer.
Sleep apnea is another common sleep disorder. In sleep apnea, the upper airway becomes blocked during sleep. This reduces or stops airflow, which wakes people up during the night. The condition can be dangerous. If untreated, it may lead to other health problems.
If you regularly have problems sleeping, talk with your health care provider. They may have you keep a sleep diary to track your sleep for several weeks. They can also run tests, including sleep studies. These look for sleep disorders.
Getting Better Sleep
If you’re having trouble sleeping, hearing how important it is may be frustrating. But simple things can improve your odds of a good night’s sleep. See the Wise Choices box for tips to sleep better every day.
Treatments are available for many common sleep disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help many people with insomnia get better sleep. Medications can also help some people.
Many people with sleep apnea benefit from using a device called a CPAP machine. These machines keep the airway open so that you can breathe. Other treatments can include special mouthguards and lifestyle changes.
For everyone, “as best you can, try to make sleep a priority,” Brown says. “Sleep is not a throwaway thing—it’s a biological necessity.”
Did you know that your body has its own internal network of clocks? These biological clocks help you feel alert during the day, hungry at mealtimes, and sleepy at night. Keeping your body’s daily cycles, or circadian rhythms, in sync is important for your health.
“Circadian rhythms are big influencers in the body,” explains NIH’s Dr. Michael Sesma, an expert in circadian biology. “They affect almost every part of your physiology in one way or another. Learning how the rhythm is generated is critical for understanding health.”
Our natural daily rhythms are synchronized with the sun. A “master clock” in the brain receives direct input from the eyes and coordinates all the biological clocks in the body. During the day, it sends signals to other brain regions to make hormones that will help keep you awake, boost your heart rate, and give you energy. In the evening, when less light enters your eyes, it triggers production of a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin makes you feel drowsy and helps you stay asleep.
“Many of your body’s functions and normal daily activities—like sleeping, waking, eating, and going to the bathroom—are patterned around this 24-hour cycle,” Sesma explains.
Your biological clock’s “settings” are determined by specific genes. These settings can affect body temperature, blood pressure, activity level, inflammation (your body’s protective response to injury or infection), fertility, mood, and brain functions. Even the timing of health-related events can be related to your biological clocks. For instance, heart attacks are more likely to occur early in the morning, when the level of a hormone called cortisol starts its daily rise.
Circadian rhythms can influence eating habits, digestion, and metabolism (how our body uses and stores energy), too. Researchers have found that eating later in the day, closer to when melatonin is released, can disrupt the body’s natural rhythms. This can lead to increased body fat and weight gain, which are often associated with obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
About the Creator
Revolutionary Climate Action
In the retrospect of my childhood, the memories of the visits to the farm with my parents are a mixture of useful advice and interesting traditions. From my grandpa's idea of planting sweet potatoes underneath rocks to my grandmother's statement that we should plant fruit according to the moon cycles, to my dad's funny invention to control the wind during the rice or cocoa sifting, all these practices were both the usual and the interesting to me. Gradually, I began to think about these habits, it made me to think where they came from and how useful they are. My family usually avoided the cultural traditions which they considered as those which they called the eccentricity of my grandparents. However, my professional career was the climate crisis, where I now, as a consultant, help farmers to set up the resilient agroforests. The road that I have traveled has pushed me to start the Cacua Project, a project that is centered on the creation of the agroforests that are resilient and the collaboration between the farmers to the ecosystems management. Hence, I have combined the old knowledge with the modern research, which has a concrete aspect that deals with the climate change. I have gradually come to the conclusion that the old stories and practices handed down from generation to generation are the most beneficial. The partnering with the farmers, we conducted the experiments that verified some of the traditional methods. In addition, the rocks placed under the crops facilitated the drainage and at the same time it drew the good organisms. The method of planting by moon cycles turned out to be successful in the organization of irrigation and pollination by being in sync with the natural insect activity and the water cycles. Even the wind-whistling technique appeared to influence the air, therefore it was beneficial in the agricultural work. The jewels of wisdom which were taught by the ancestors to us are the ones that gave us the necessary tips for the better way of landscape protection. Ever since I was a young environmentalist, I have been committed to several life choices that elude what I consider good for the planet.
By Wes Wesley6 days ago in Earth
How The Internet is CHANGING Your Brain
With 13% of the world's population using social media, they clearly have a significant effect on society. However, what might be said about our bodies? The following are 5 insane ways that social Your brain is currently being affected by media and the internet! Can't log off? Shockingly, 5-10% of web clients are really incapable to control how much they spend on the internet. Despite the fact that it is a mental addiction rather than a substance addiction, mind sweeps of these individuals really show a comparable impedance of districts that those with drug reliance have. In particular, there is a reasonable corruption of white matter in the locales that control close to home handling, consideration and navigation. Since social media furnishes quick compensations with very little exertion required, your cerebrum start to rewire itself and cause you to crave these stimuli. And you start to want more. of this neurological energy after every association. Sounds like something from a drug, right? We likewise see a shift while taking a gander at performing multiple tasks. You might believe that social media users media or continually switch among work and sites are better at performing multiple tasks, yet studies have discovered that heavy media users perform significantly worse during tests on switching tasks Expanded performing various tasks online diminishes your minds capacity to channel out obstructions, and could in fact make it harder for your mind to commit data to memory. Like when your telephone hums in useful work. Or on the other hand wait...did it even buzz? Ghost Vibration Condition is a somewhat new mental peculiarity where you think you felt your telephone go off, yet it didn't. 89% of test subjects in one study said they at least once every two weeks, experienced this. Apparently, our brains now perceive a tingle as a genuine vibration from our telephone. As insane as it appears, innovation has started to rewire our nervous systems, and our brains are being stimulated in a way they have never been before. been done in the past. Dopamine, a chemical that makes you feel good, is also released when you use social media. Utilizing X-ray filters, Researchers discovered that people's reward centers are significantly more active when they are discussing their own perspectives, rather than paying attention to other people. Not surprising at all - We all enjoy discussing ourselves, right? However, it would seem while 30-40% of eye to eye discussions include conveying our own encounters, around 80% of web-based entertainment correspondence is self included. A similar piece of your mind connected with climaxes, inspiration and love are invigorated by your virtual entertainment use - and, surprisingly, more so when you realize you have a group of people. Our body is physiologically remunerating us for discussing ourselves on the web! However, it's not all so self-centered. In fact, relationships studies have shown that partners will generally like each other more assuming that they meet interestingly online as opposed to with an up close and personal connection. Whether this is on the grounds that individuals are more unknown or maybe all the more clear about their future objectives, there is a factual expansion in effective organizations that first began online. Therefore, even though the internet has altered our verbal communication with increased physical distance, the most important people might end up even closer. Regarding social media, you asked us questions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, tumblr, google+, and every other social media platform we could find, and we produced a Q&A video on Google+. AsapTHOUGHT! So assuming that you feel getting a few insider data on AsapSCIENCE and in the background, Use the link in the description to check it out! Got a consuming inquiry you need responded to? Ask it in the remarks or on Facebook and Twitter. We likewise at long last got a PO Box, for every one of you astounding science darlings who have mentioned to mail us or send us other things over the years. Furthermore, we'd very much want to hear from every one of you! So Use the address displayed on the screen or in the description box as you please. Also, subscribe to receive additional weekly science videos! With virtual entertainment locales being utilized by ⅓ of the whole world, they've obviously had an important factor in society. Be that as it may, shouldn't something be said about our bodies? The following are 5 insane ways that social media and the web are influencing your mind at the present time! Can't log off? Shockingly, 5-10% of web clients are really unfit to control how much they spend on the internet. Despite the fact that it is a mental addiction rather than a substance addiction, In fact, brain scans of these individuals reveal a similar impairment to with drug reliance have. In particular, there is a reasonable debasement of white matter in the parts that control how emotions are processed, how you focus, and how you make decisions. Since social Media gives you immediate pleasure with little effort, so your brain starts to rework itself, making you want these feelings. Also, you start to long for more of this neurological fervor after every connection. Sounds similar to a medication, right? We likewise see a shift while taking a gander at performing various tasks. You could feel that the individuals who utilize social Studies show that people who use media or constantly switch between work and websites are better at multitasking. have found that while contrasting weighty media clients with others, they perform a lot of more regrettable during tests on switching tasks Expanded performing various tasks online lessens your cerebrums capacity to channel out impedances, and could actually make it harder for your mind to commit data to memory. Like when you're working productively and your phone rings. Or wait, was it even done? buzz? Ghost Vibration Condition is a generally new mental peculiarity where you think Your phone should have sounded, but it didn't. 89% of test subjects in one study said they at least once every two weeks, experienced this. Apparently our cerebrums presently see a tingle as a genuine vibration from our telephone. Technology has begun, despite how crazy it may seem. to rework our sensory systems - and our cerebrums are being set off in a manner they won't ever have been done in the past. Dopamine, a chemical that makes you feel good, is also released when you use social media. By way of MRI scans, researcher found that the prize communities in individuals' minds are considerably more dynamic when Instead of listening to other people, they are discussing their own points of view. Not surprising at all - we as a whole love discussing ourselves right? However, it turns out that 30 to 40 percent of face-to-face discussions include imparting our own encounters, around 80% of virtual entertainment correspondence is self-centered. Your brain's regions associated with orgasms, motivation, and love are stimulated by your use of social media, and even more so when you are aware that you have a following. We are receiving a physiological reward from our body for expressing ourselves online! However, it's not all so self included. In fact, relationships studies have shown that partners tend to like one another more when they meet for the first time online as opposed to in person. a face-to-face exchange. Whether this is on the grounds that individuals are more mysterious or maybe all the more clear about their future objectives, there is a measurable expansion in fruitful organizations that began on the web. So while the web has changed our verbal correspondence with increased physical distance, the most important people might end up even closer.
By Ibok Gerardabout 22 hours ago in Earth
Red Shelves
Death is a black hole. Think about it. A black hole is the corpse of a star, something once warm and bright, now come to the end of its life cycle. But some will argue that the cycle of life does not end with death. That death is merely another path we must walk once our bodies expire and our souls ascend. In that moment, when the fuel in the star’s chemical tank hits empty and the shiny matte coat explodes into supernova, the mass left behind – the corpse – becomes a black hole. We understand that, around such a vast cadaver, dimensions work a little differently in death to the way we’re used to in life. For example, light cannot escape the pull of a black hole when it hits the point of no return. That’s where it gets its colour. Space itself is contorted by a black hole. That’s where it gets its funny shape. Even time. Time slows right down the closer you get to it. The closer you get to a black hole. The closer you get to death.
By Matthew Curtis6 days ago in Humans
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