![]() New parents lose, on average, between 450 and 700 hours of sleep during their child’s first 12 months of life. ![]() Studies show that common distractions from sleep are: It is thought that sleepiness causes about one road accident in six. Most of us feel that we haven’t had enough sleep at least some of the time. The Sleep Health Foundation recommends that adults should aim for 7–9 hours of sleep per night. Today, sleep deprivation is common in developed nations, with the average adult sleeping for only six or seven hours each night. In the morning, exposure to daylight suppresses these hormones and releases brain chemicals to keep you awake. When the sun sets, your brain releases hormones to make you sleepy. The body’s internal clock regulates when and how we sleep depending on the amount of light around us. Lack of sleep, or sleep deprivation, can cause fatigue, poor concentration and memory, mood disturbances, impaired judgement and reaction time, and poor physical coordination. It refreshes the mind and repairs the body. Most scientists agree that sleep is important for restoring physical and mental health. The sleep lab treats insomnia, sleep apnea, snoring, bruxism (teeth grinding), restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, and sleep talking and walking disorders.Sleep is as essential for good health as oxygen, food and water. The Sleep Lab at Harrington at Webster conducts sleep studies for adults and children. If this becomes a constant problem, then talk to your primary care provider about visiting our sleep lab or contact us at (508) 949-8960. Not sleeping well from time to time is normal, but chronic lack of sleep can cause aching muscles, headaches, hallucinations, clumsiness, hand tremors, irritability, memory lapse or loss, and weight gain. It’s also important to limit daytime naps, add physical activity in your daily routine, and manage your stress levels. You never want to go to bed too full or hungry. In addition, pay attention to what you are eating and drinking before bed. Try to go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning. In order to get a great night’s sleep, it is important to create a routine that you stick to as much as possible. Recent studies have shown that not getting enough REM sleep may lead to depression. As adults get older, they spend less and less time in REM sleep. Adults spend the other half of their time in stage 2 and the other 30 percent divided between the other stages. Adults spend about 20 percent of their time in REM sleep, compared to infants who spend 50 percent of their sleep in REM sleep. Other times, people remember longer wakening periods. ![]() Sometimes, people wake only for a short time and do not remember it in the morning. Many don’t know that people can wake up during REM sleep even though it is the deepest, most intense stage. This stage is also when you have intense dreams since the brain is more active. However, the arms and legs become paralyzed. During REM sleep, your breathing, eye movement, blood pressure, and heart rate speed up. REM sleep usually begins after you have been asleep for 90 minutes. REM sleep appropriately stands for rapid eye movement. However, in 2008, sleep experts eliminated stage 4 and now stages 3 and 4 are considered stage 3. During stage 4, there is no eye movement or muscle activity. Both stages 3 and 4 are considered deep sleep stages. Stage 4 is another stage of deep sleep when the brain produces only delta waves. If you do wake up, you will most likely feel disoriented for a few minutes. During stage 3 of the cycle, it is much harder for you to wake up from load noises or movement. These are called delta waves and are found in between smaller faster waves. Stage 3 is when deep sleep really sets in. While you are still in a stage of light sleep, your body temperature drops as you get ready for deep sleep. At this time, the brain waves begin to slow as well with occasional bursts of rapid movement in the brain. This is also when people feel the sensation of falling and can still wake up very easily. This phase, which usually lasts about 5 to 10 minutes, is when the eyes move slowly and muscle activity slows. You are probably most aware of this stage when drifting off to sleep in front of the TV. Educate yourself first, and then make sure you benefit from all the stages at night! A good night’s rest boosts your immune system, increases your energy, and even influences proper eating habits. Not getting enough sleep can lead to more than just a tired feeling. Often, people will take physicians’ advice seriously when it comes to diet and exercise, but not sleep. However, many people forget the eight hours of shuteye that doctors recommend are vital to your health as well.
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