Too much sleep? are you kidding? There's no such thing these
days is there? With today's fast paced lifestyle there's barely
enough time to grab enough sleep let alone too much.
However if you sleep eight hours a night or more and still awake
less than refreshed, chances are you're getting too much sleep.
What you need is not more sleep it's quality sleep.
Quality sleep allows us to awake feeling refreshed and full of
energy, ready to power through the day. It also allows us to
sleep less hours, freeing up more time for us to do the things
we want.
A lot of people assume that because they're feeling tired all
day or have a mid afternoon 'slump' that they need more sleep.
Not true!
A lot of people believe because they may have had a couple of
late nights, they have to 'catch up' by having extra sleep. Also
not true!
Sleeping for too long can damage your circadian rhythm. The
circadian rhythm is your 24 hour 'clock' controlled by a central
part of the brain. This clock tells us when we are sleepy by
altering the body temperature by a few degrees. When the body
temperature is lowered, we feel sleepy. Conversely when it is
raised, we feel awake and alert.
When we sleep for a longer time, our body temperature does not
rise as fast. This is why we feel sleepy and sluggish in the
mornings. The more tired we feel, the less exercise we do.
Inactivity keeps the body temperature down so creating a vicious
cycle.
The more sleep we have, the less time we stay awake to create
our sleep quality for the following night. Our body does not get
exposed to sufficient sunlight to lower our melatonin levels, so
we stay sleepy throughout the day.
The deeper stages of sleep (stages 3 and 4) are the most
restorative. This is where the body regenerates. Most of stage 3
and 4 sleep takes place in the first 4 hours of our sleep. The
rest of the night is spent in REM (dreaming) sleep and the
lighter stages. Stages 3 and 4 are also where the immune system
repairs and strengthens itself. It is vital to get this type of
quality sleep.
A good start is to make sure we get enough exercise during the
day, this gives us a three-fold benefit. It gets us out into the
sunlight which reduces our melatonin levels, it raises our body
temperature so we feel energized and it tires us in a healthy
way so we can have more deep sleep at night.
So when you come home from work feeling worn out and weary,
don't veg out in front of the TV. Put on those sneakers and go
for a brisk walk around the block instead!
About the author:
Want to know how to have better sleep? Find out how. Check out
www.insomnia-connection.com your resource for detailed
information on sleep and curing stress. The author, Wendy Owen,
has had a lifetime interest in general and alternative health as
well as being an ex insomniac!
