Category: Sleep Deprivation

People are getting less sleep in our modern world than ever before, which can have dire consequences for physical and mental health. Sleeping pills are not the answer, but there are many natural lifestyle changes that can enhance the quality of our sleep.

Sleep or something similar has been found to exist in all animal species, even in insects, which tells us what an important and essential biological process sleep is. But in spite of its importance to mental and physical health, many fail to sleep enough.

In order to optimize our health, it’s essential to make sleep a priority since optimal health and well-being are impossible without an adequate amount of sleep. So in addition to prioritizing diet and exercise, place a high priority on good sleep as well.

In order to feel our best and to be most productive, it is essential to get a good night’s sleep and do so consistently. Time spent sleeping is time well spent because it will make your waking hours so much better, in addition to all its health benefits.

Not getting enough sleep guarantees that your day will not be as good as it otherwise would be. Teenagers having to get up too early because of early school start times is a major problem for teens. Their physical and mental health suffers because of it.

When I was in school, school started at 8:30. Now, many schools start much earlier, at 7:00 for example. This subjects school children to sleep deprivation, which interferes with learning and memory and causes all sorts of health problems: a crazy policy.

Sleep deprivation in both animals and humans can have profoundly negative effects on learning and memory. Getting enough sleep is absolutely essential for optimal cognitive function and for the overall health of the brain and mind, as well as of the body.

We all know from personal experience how refreshing and regenerating sleep can be. Nothing clears and enhances the mind like a nap or a good night’s sleep. Perhaps part of the reason why this is so is that wastes are cleared from the brain while we sleep.

For most people, especially teenagers, five or six hours of sleep each night is not enough for optimal health. We need more than that on average. The quality of our life depends in large measure on the quality and on the quantity of the sleep that we get.