A Sleeping Beauty...

In this day and age when everyone is obsessed with careers, even our normal sleep patterns are compromised. You cannot even imagine what actors’ and actresses’ schedules are like. They sometimes work for two straight days. They only take naps in between takes and that’s it. Especially when they have to air their daily TV shows, their sleeping patterns become totally destroyed. This is why one of Claudine Barretto’s greatest indulgences is sleeping. Who can blame her?

The body needs at least seven hours of good sleep. Six hours or less may triple your risk of a car accident. So to prevent this from happening, a power nap is advisable. I envy people who can just lean back in a comfortable position and after a second, are already sleeping. Power naps are very beneficial as research shows that naps help reduce stress, improve cognitive functioning and make you more alert. The best part of naps? It makes you look a whole lot better, it’s a great  beautifier.

 Here are the top 10 health benefits of a good night’s sleep, according to Mark Sticich, Ph.D (about.com).

1. It keeps your heart healthy.

Heart attacks and strokes are more common during the early morning hours. This fact may be explained by the way sleep interacts with the blood vessels. Lack of sleep has been associated with worsening of blood pressure and cholesterol, all risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Your heart will be healthier if you get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night.

2. It may prevent cancer.

People working the late shift have a higher risk for breast and colon cancer. Researchers believe this link is caused by differing levels of melatonin in people who are exposed to light at night. Light exposure reduces the level of melatonin, a hormone that both makes us sleepy and is thought to protect against cancer. Melatonin appears to suppress the growth of tumors. Be sure that your bedroom is dark to help your body produce the melatonin it needs.

3. It reduces stress.

When your body is sleep-deficient, it goes into a state of stress. The body’s functions are put on high alert, which causes an increase in blood pressure and a production of stress hormones. The stress hormones also, unfortunately, make it harder for you to sleep. Learn relaxation techniques to counter the effects of stress. There are also stress reduction techniques for sleep.

4. It reduces inflammation.

The increase in stress hormones raises the level of inflammation in your body, also creating more risk for heart-related conditions, as well as cancer and diabetes. Inflammation is thought to be one of the causes of the deterioration of your body as you age.

5. It makes you more alert.

Of course, a good night’s sleep makes you feel energized and alert the next day. When you wake up feeling refreshed, use that energy to get out into the daylight, do active things and be engaged in your world. You’ll sleep better the next night and increase your daily energy level.

6. It bolsters your memory.

Researchers do not fully understand why we sleep and dream, but a process called memory consolidation occurs during sleep. While your body may be resting, your brain is busy processing your day, making connections between events, sensory input, feelings and memories. Your dreams and deep sleep are an important time for your brain to make memories and links. Getting more quality sleep will help you remember and process things better.

7. May help you lose weight.

Researchers have also found that people who sleep less than seven hours per night are more likely to be overweight or obese. It is thought that the lack of sleep impacts the balance of hormones in the body that affect appetite. The hormones ghrelin and leptin, important for the regulation of appetite, have been found to be disrupted by lack of sleep. So if you are interested in controlling or losing weight, don’t forget to pay attention to getting a good night’s sleep.

8. Naps make you smarter.

Napping during the day is not only an effective and refreshing alternative to caffeine, it can also protect your health and make you more productive. Napping also improves memory, cognitive function and mood.

9. It reduces your risk for depression.

Sleep impacts many of the chemicals in your body, including serotonin. People with a deficiency in serotonin are more likely to suffer from depression. You can help to prevent depression by making sure you are getting the right amount of sleep, between seven and nine hours each night.

10. It helps the body make repairs.

Sleep is a time for your body to repair damage caused by stress, ultraviolet rays and other harmful exposures. Your cells produce more protein while you are sleeping. These protein molecules form the building blocks for cells, allowing them to repair damage.

We should all learn how to take sleeping seriously. When we see our moms taking naps after preparing a great meal for us, quiet down so we don’t interrupt that nap that her body needs. After her nap, why not treat our moms to a great dinner to celebrate our love for her, most especially today that it’s her day? It’s our mom’s day. Why not take her out so she can just sit, choose the food she likes, eat and relax so she can enjoy and cherish the love and happiness that she gets simply by being around her family and loved ones? Or better yet, a great gift for our moms is to check her in at a good comfortable hotel where she can just relax and get her well-deserved sleep, where she can let go of her worries and drown under the comfort of great sheets.

Notice how well your mood is when you get enough sleep. If you have trouble getting sleep, why not look and check and see if your bed and bed covers and lighting in your room are helping you get a good sleep? What you need is to make sure you have a good mattress, a feathered mattress topper, great sheets, preferably nothing less than 200 counts of cotton or better yet get Egyptian cotton sheets, comfortable pillows, soothing aroma spray like lavender and make sure to dim your lights. You work so hard every single day so make sure when it’s time for you to get your well-deserved rest. Make sure you do it where your bed is almost like heaven. Although it will be a struggle to get out of bed every morning and this I promise you. Why not surprise your moms with a new heaven? Get her some great sheets, a feathered mattress topper, hotel-like pillows, a goosedown all-weather comforter (they have this at Debenhams), a duvet cover and you have just given her a piece of heaven to snuggle into. Besides, we all know that our moms deserve every bit of heaven that we can give.

(E-mail the author at checheljoson@gmail.com)