This is the title that caught my eyes some days back.
Monthly subscription of Reader's Digest was left lying on my table for a couple days le. No motivation to touch it at all. One fine day, I decided to unwrap it and take a look. Lo, and behold.. the title on the front page caught my eye.
Out of curiosity, i flipped through the pages to the topic.
It read...

.....It's a common fact that lack of sleep inhibits concentration..."
...whether the cause is chronic - insomnia, a sleep disorder, shift work, jet lag, or simply trying to put in extra hours at work, we've all experienced the exhaustion caused by the lack of sleep. In fact, sleep is as important to a healthy lifestyle as eating properly and exercising. Too little sleep may increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and depression. Getting a good night's sleep is one of the simplest things you can do to stay healthy.

-Hey fm...xy... jeff... heard that?? hahaha...

How much sleep do you need?
A good night's sleep means waking up rested and energised. On average, a healthy adult needs between 6 & 8 hours of sleep a night, according to Dr Ravi Seshadri, a sleep expert and clinical director of MD Specialist Healthcare at the Paragon Medical Centre in Singapore.
However, the amount of sleep it takes to achieve rejuvenation varies from person to person. Length is not the only important factor in sleeping but the quality as well. People who lose sleep every night will suffer from sleep debt --> compounded over a prolonged period and recovery will take much longer than the actual hours lost....
The time it takes for a sleep deficit to accrue depends on how consistent the problem is. Losing a couple hours of sleep for several nights is enough......

Why are we so sleep deprived?
We're so busy that we just dont have sufficient time to get the sleep we need...... About 40% of patients suffer from sleep disturbances because the indulge in activities that extend way beyond their bedtime. It's not just work that makes them cut down on sleep but also their lifestyle....simply socialising or surfing the Internet can engage people far beyond their bedtimes..


- hahahah... how true....

How important is a good night's sleep?
Sleep is imperative (wah.. what a familiar word...) to maintaining your health. Without it, you increase your susceptibility to an astonishing array of health problems, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and depression.
Not getting enough sleep can compromise your immune system. You can exercise and eat well in order to keep your immune system up, but if you aren't sleeping, you undo all that good work. The immune system works best when you're asleep.
....Sleep deprivation may potentially increase risk for the development of cardiovascular problems....sleeping less than 5 hours doubled the risk of high blood pressure...
...People who lack sleep may also be associated with a prediabetic state (glucose intolerance and insulin resistance) and obesity.
.... Insufficient sleep may affect 3 hormones that can contribute to obesity.
1. There's leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone found in our fat and its levels are regulated during sleep.
2. Grelin triggers appetite and increase with sleep deprivation. Our bodies then produce more of the stress hormone cortisol, which increases far storage....


- oh no!!! No wonder I'm eating more and more nowadays... *gasp!*

Not only do the increased hormones resulting from sleep loss cause us to eat more, but most of us also make poor food choices when we're tired. Get sufficient sleep if you don't want to gain weight...

Sleep is important in keeping not only your waistline trim, but your brain activity balanced as well. During sleep, brain neurotransmitters - the chemicals that deliver messages between nerve cells in the brain - are replenished. Any form of stress, including lack of sleep, results in the depletion of the brain chemicals thus causing emotional disturbances, including depression, anxiety and general feelings of anger or sadness.

Mmmm... cheeemmmm... But.. learnt that sleep is really important.. it ages too!! haha...
MMmm... its late now.. i better get going.. tmr got BS.. wanna be in tip-top condition!! Yayy!! :D

-RacheL- blogged @ 11/01/2006 03:13:00 AM