It’s World Sleep Day on 15th March
and Oh! How we all wish we could use this day to catch up on the lost sleep. Sleep
deprivation is a serious problem affecting most of our teens and youth. So
often we see our classmates getting yelled at because they fall asleep in a
lecture. But have we ever dwelled on the subject and given it a thought? That
why we fall asleep in a lecture or in a local train or a bus?? It is not always
because of the spell of boredom that the lecturers cast. It is because of
excessive sleep deprivation.
Cutting down on sleep to spend hours online chatting to a buddy or
playing games or to finish an assignment a day before the submission date or
studying is such a common trend. It’s almost like a fashion statement.
Something that makes you look “cool”.
Ø Obesity: Sleep deprivation over a long period of time leads to weight gain and when it is compiled with junk food the effects are even worse.
Ø Safety Issues: Falling prey to drowsiness has lead to road accidents.
Ø Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness.
Ø Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
Ø Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.
Few Tips For A Better
Sleep:
·
Go to bed earlier — and at a set
time. Sounds obvious right? The problem is there's no alternative. We already
wake up at the latest possible time you think is acceptable. If you don't
ritualize a specific bedtime, you'll end up finding ways to stay up later, just
the way you do now.
· Start winding down at least 45 minutes before you turn out the light. You won't fall asleep if you're all wound up from answering email, or doing other work. Create a ritual around drinking a cup of herbal tea, or listening to music that helps you relax, or reading a dull book.
· Write down what's on your mind — especially unfinished to-do's and unresolved issues — just before you go to bed. If you leave items in your working memory, they'll make it harder to fall asleep, and you'll end up ruminating about them if you should wake up during the night
Here's what former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin had to say in his memoir White Nights about the experience of being deprived of sleep in a KGB prison: "In the head of the interrogated prisoner a haze begins to form. His spirit is wearied to death, his legs are unsteady, and he has one sole desire: to sleep . Anyone who has experienced this desire knows that not even hunger and thirst are comparable with it."
· Start winding down at least 45 minutes before you turn out the light. You won't fall asleep if you're all wound up from answering email, or doing other work. Create a ritual around drinking a cup of herbal tea, or listening to music that helps you relax, or reading a dull book.
· Write down what's on your mind — especially unfinished to-do's and unresolved issues — just before you go to bed. If you leave items in your working memory, they'll make it harder to fall asleep, and you'll end up ruminating about them if you should wake up during the night
Here's what former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin had to say in his memoir White Nights about the experience of being deprived of sleep in a KGB prison: "In the head of the interrogated prisoner a haze begins to form. His spirit is wearied to death, his legs are unsteady, and he has one sole desire: to sleep . Anyone who has experienced this desire knows that not even hunger and thirst are comparable with it."
NIRAJA
BPT 1st year
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