Importance of sleep

Sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Yet millions of people do not get enough sleep and many suffer from lack of sleep. For example, surveys conducted by the NSF (1999-2004) reveal that at least 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders and 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more. Most of those with these problems go undiagnosed and untreated. In addition, more than 40 percent of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days each month - with 20 percent reporting problem sleepiness a few days a week or more. Furthermore, 69 percent of children experience one or more sleep problems a few nights or more during a week.

Amount of sleep needed

Everyone’s individual sleep needs vary. In general, most healthy adults are built for 16 hours of wakefulness and need an average of eight hours of sleep a night. However, some individuals are able to function without sleepiness or drowsiness after as little as six hours of sleep. Others can't perform at their peak unless they've slept ten hours. And, contrary to common myth, the need for sleep doesn't decline with age but the ability to sleep for six to eight hours at one time may be reduced.

What causes sleep problems?

Psychologists and other scientists who study the causes of sleep disorders have shown that such problems can directly or indirectly be tied to abnormalities in the following systems:

Physiological systems

* Brain and nervous system
* Cardiovascular system
* Metabolic functions
* Immune system

Furthermore, unhealthy conditions, disorders and diseases can also cause sleep problems, including:

* Pathological sleepiness, insomnia and accidents
* Hypertension and elevated cardiovascular risks (MI, stroke)
* Emotional disorders (depression, bipolar disorder)
* Obesity; metabolic syndrome and diabetes
* Alcohol and drug abuse

Really ritika a good sleep is very important in our life.
Thanks for sharing the nice information about good sleep.

Very useful information about sleep given by you here. a good sleep is very beneficial for our health.


thanks for sharing this nice information

As your child grows, the importance of sleep grows too. According to the national sleep foundation; 40% of 4-12 year olds complain of tiredness during the day time.

Therefore by the age of 4 it is important that your child is transferred into a full sized bed with a comfortable mattress. This gives them space for activities such as reading, and also gives them the important space whilst they are growing and developing.

Thanks for sharing.

Sleep is one of the precious gifts of god. A good night sleep makes you fit and cheerful after you wake up from sleep. For a healthy living, good food and good sleep are very important. Sleep makes the tired body not only cheerful, but also healthy. At the time of sleep, most of the organs and cells of the body are working in slow, respiration, heart and nervous system. The temperature is reduced by 0.5 to 1.0º F. The blood pressure will be 20mm less. The tone of the skeletal muscles will be reduced. The pupils are constricted and eyes are rolled upwards. A clean body and mind, physical exercises, relaxed mood and perfect food control are sleep producing methods.

There are several health benefits of sleep. Some of the major health benefits of good sleep are as below –

1. A proper sleep is necessary for good eye sight (vision). If you do not sleep properly at night then you will have defective vision.
2. Emaciation, weakness, impotency, sterility, lack of knowledge and death may be result of poor sleep.
3. A good night sleep strengthens the presence of your mind and consciousness. It makes you feel energized and physically more alert.
4. It enhances your memory and learning capacity. Getting adequate sleep will help you remember and process things better.
5. Good sleep strengthens your immune system and makes you less prone to various illnesses.
6. It reduces stress, tension and anxiety. A proper sleep allows your body to rest and relax. When your body lacks sleep it goes into a state of stress.
7. Good night sleep helps to lose weight. Sleep deficient individuals are more likely to be overweight or obese.
8. Good night sleep keeps your heart healthy. Lack of proper sleep has been associated with increasing blood pressure and cholesterol levels, both risk factors for heart attack and stroke.

There are several health benefits of sleep. Some of the major health benefits of good sleep are as below -

1. A proper sleep is necessary for good eye sight (vision). If you do not sleep properly at night then you will have defective vision.
2. Emaciation, weakness, impotency, sterility, lack of knowledge and death may be result of poor sleep.
3. A good night sleep strengthens the presence of your mind and consciousness. It makes you feel energized and physically more alert.
4. It enhances your memory and learning capacity. Getting adequate sleep will help you remember and process things better.
5. Good sleep strengthens your immune system and makes you less prone to various illnesses.
6. It reduces stress, tension and anxiety. A proper sleep allows your body to rest and relax. When your body lacks sleep it goes into a state of stress.
7. Good night sleep helps to lose weight. Sleep deficient individuals are more likely to be overweight or obese.
8. Good night sleep keeps your heart healthy. Lack of proper sleep has been associated with increasing blood pressure and cholesterol levels, both risk factors for heart attack and stroke

Few people realize how important sleep is! The alarm clock is an often-used fixture in an overwhelming majority of homes of the modern world. By using the electric lighting, alarm clocks, sleeping pills, and shift-work, we have wreaked havoc on the process of sleep. Over the last hundred years of the twentieth century, we have intruded upon a delicate and finely regulated process perfected by several hundred million years of evolution. Yet only recently have we truly become aware that this intrusion may belong to the most important preventable factors that are slowing the societal growth in industrial nations! In a couple of years from now, we may look at alarm clocks and "sleep regulation", in the same way as we look today at other "great" human inventions in the league of cigarettes, asbestos materials or radioactive cosmetics

Thanks For sharing Here Benefits of Sleep
For a Human Being Minimum of 6-8hrs of sleep is necessary
Proper Sleep make us Fits energetic and also Our faced used to glow more....

Here are just a few of the ways that sleep improves the quality (and even the quantity!) of your life. They'll give you the answer to that question 'why is sleep important?'....

* Sleep helps to repair your body
Your body produces extra protein molecules while you're sleeping, and these help to mend your body at a cellular level. The damage from all kinds of things, such as stress, pollutants, infection, sun exposure and so on, is repaired while you're happily in the land of nod. Learn How Sleep Helps Strengthen Your Immune System

* Sleep helps keep your heart healthy
Your heart and cardiovascular system is constantly under pressure, and one of the benefits of sleep is that it helps to reduce the levels of stress and inflammation in your body. High levels of 'inflammatory markers' are linked to heart attacks, heart disease and strokes. Sleep can also help keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels (which play a role in heart disease) lower.

* Sleep reduces stress
A good night's sleep can lower blood pressure and the elevated levels of stress hormones which are a natural result of today's fast paced lifestyle. There are physical effects of stress such as excess 'wear and tear' on your body, and an increase in the aging and degeneration of organs, cells and other body parts. By reducing high levels of stress, sleep helps to reverse these effects and encourages a state of relaxation.

Check this out.... More Ways to Deal With Stress
Self-Improvement-Advice.org offers self improvement advice, ideas and tips with focus on stress management, anger control, memory improvement and more. Find out more about the symptoms of stress, main causes, and various stress management techniques. Free stress relief games as well.
* Sleep improves your memory
That 'foggy' feeling that you struggle with when deprived of sleep makes it difficult to concentrate. This often leads to not being able to 'commit to memory' facts, faces, lessons or even conversations! Sleeping well eliminates these difficulties because as you sleep, your brain is busy organizing and correlating memories. One of the great benefits of sleep is that it allows your brain to better process new experiences and knowledge, increasing your understanding and retention. So, next time you hear someone say "why don't you sleep on it", take their advice!